VELO3D Unveils Sapphire XC, Large-Format 3D Metal Printer

VELO3D announces the expansion of its systems portfolio to include Sapphire XC, an “Extra Capacity” large-format printer that will increase production throughput by 5X and reduce cost-per-part by up to 75%, compared to the existing Sapphire system, the company says.

The company also announced plans to roll-out Sapphire Gen 2, which will be a software and hardware upgrade to the current system. The Sapphire Gen 2 upgrade will be available to retrofit on all installed systems starting in Q2 2021.

The Sapphire product family now includes Sapphire Gen 2, the 1-meter tall Sapphire 1MZ and Sapphire XC—all using the laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) process with patented capabilities to print without consideration of support structures. 

“Printing larger parts without the additive manufacturing constraints of support structures is highly attractive to many industrial end-users,” says Benny Buller, founder, and CEO of VELO3D. “For the first time, customers will be able to 3D-print uncompromised geometries, with the highest confidence in part quality, in a large format system. Quality assurance with large scale components is critical because the economic impact of failed builds is very significant. We have demonstrated that our integrated solution is capable of producing a greater yield of high-quality parts, and that foundational technology will transfer to our new Sapphire XC.”

Sapphire XC Features

• Larger build volume: Build volume 600x550 mm (compared to 315x400 mm in Sapphire)
• Higher productivity for production: 8 lasers x 1,000W each (compared to 2 lasers x 1,000W in Sapphire)
• Integrated manufacturing process: Fully integrated with Flow pre-print software and Assure quality control software
• Consistent architecture: Uses the same optical-train design, recoater technology, gas-flow technology and metrology as the current Sapphire. Users can also expect similar material properties as Sapphire
• Qualified material alloys: Compatible alloys include Aluminum F357, Titanium 6AI-4V, INCONEL 718 and HASTELLOY X

Sapphire XC Pre-Order 

Delivery of Sapphire XC will begin in Q4 2021. Early pre-order of Sapphire XC secures a price and an early manufacturing slot for the system. Existing orders of Sapphire XC will consume all available manufacturing slots for Q4 ’21 and most of Q1 ’22.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.