VELO3D Picked for 3D-Printed Aftermarket Part Solutions

VELO3D reports that Chromalloy, a manufacturing and repair solutions provider for gas turbine engine manufacturers and operators worldwide, recently selected the VELO3D Sapphire system as its additive manufacturing (AM) solution for future Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO) projects in Chromalloy’s aviation and energy markets. Chromalloy is installing the VELO3D Sapphire in its manufacturing and repair services environment. 

“Chromalloy continues to seek innovative alternatives for our customers to extend the life of their engines and reduce their MRO costs,” says John Green, vice president, Engineering & Technology, Chromalloy. “The VELO3D additive manufacturing equipment provides a unique, practical solution for our proprietary LifeX customer solutions.”

“For Chromalloy, 3D printed parts must provide inherent value because they are 3D printed,” says Chromalloy’s Jim Whitton, director, Innovation Strategy. “Otherwise, the printing itself is just a novelty. VELO3D’s unique build capability and material density create high value by reducing post-processing requirements.”

VELO3D will qualify Chromalloy’s machine for 3D printing nickel-based superalloys, including HastelloyX, which is known for its strength and durability characteristics in high temperature environments. VELO3D enables geometric freedom through its SupportFree process. The capability to produce practically unlimited geometries eliminates the need to redesign legacy parts to produce them with AM. This reduces the barrier of transitioning legacy parts, produced historically by casting, welding or brazing, to additive manufacturing, the company ays.

All Sapphire machines come standard with VELO3D's automated, user-friendly Flow pre-print software and Assure quality assurance and control system.

“As an industry leader in the aviation MRO space, Chromalloy is an excellent partner for us,” says Benny Buller, VELO3D founder and CEO. “They have the expertise to open up a whole market category of parts. With the flexibility to produce high value, high mix, low-volume parts, AM allows the supply chain to be scaled to market- and customer-specific requirements.”

“For complex gas turbine combustor components that have limited aftermarket availability or high replacement cost, the Sapphire system will allow Chromalloy to produce hardware on-demand, negating high NPI (new product introduction) tooling costs and lead-times of other methods,” Whitton adds.

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