Velo3D, Inc. has announced its first Sapphire XC delivery. The Sapphire XC, or “Extra Capacity,” is the company’s newest and largest metal 3D printer that delivers both faster production and larger parts. The Sapphire XC is a scale-up version of the Sapphire Printer, utilizing the same Flow print preparation software, the same Assure quality control software, and the same Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process. 

 

Sapphire XC is built to enable a seamless transition of parts that were developed and qualified on Sapphire to the larger, more productive Sapphire XC, reducing the cost of producing parts by up to 75%. Sapphire XC also expands the use of Velo3D’s production solution to parts that are up to 400% larger in volume than the largest parts possible with the original Sapphire. The aerospace company receiving the new Sapphire XC will use it to scale up production of its product that is built using the Sapphire fleet of metal 3d printers they already have. 

 

“I believe that the Sapphire XC will quickly become the gold standard in advanced metal additive manufacturing,” said Benny Buller, Velo3D CEO and founder. “Because our customer is already utilizing our end-to-end production solution, they can immediately and seamlessly move parts to Sapphire XC to achieve a phenomenal production rate increase. We made a huge effort to ensure that Sapphire XC uses the exact same manufacturing process as Sapphire. The ability to move production seamlessly between different products was considered impossible when we started Velo3D, but I am proud to declare that we have unlocked this ability for our customers and partners. It is a huge accomplishment—our biggest achievement of 2021.” 

 

Velo3D currently has a backlog of firm bookings for 17 additional Sapphire XC systems as well as 19 additional reservations. This demand is driven by the lower production costs Sapphire XC can enable for customers who have adopted the original Sapphire printers and its ability to produce much larger parts.