Velo3D Sells Sapphire 1MZ Metal 3D Printer to National Institute for Aviation Research

Velo3D (NYSE: VLD), the Silicon Valley-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of metal powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printers, has sold a Sapphire 1MZ system to the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), based at Kansas’s Wichita State University (WSU). Capable of building parts with a height up to one meter, the 1MZ that NIAR purchased is configured for Inconel 718.

NIAR has been one of the most important recipients of federal R&D funding for advanced manufacturing in recent years, commanding a $350 million annual budget and working on projects for organizations including the US Army Ground Vehicles Systems Center (GVSC) and NASA. NIAR is also central to WSU’s work with both the government and prime aerospace/defense contractors in the university’s management of the South Kansas Coalition, a consortium awarded $51 million from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge in September 2022.

In a press release, NIAR’s Business Development Lead for Advanced Manufacturing, Lauren Tubesing, said, “Our team is focused on helping the US identify materials, designs, and techniques that can support the country’s aerospace, defense, and manufacturing industries and we’re glad to work with America’s own metal additive manufacturing [AM] provider. Our organization is well-known for its work in aeronautical research and by leveraging Velo3D’s solution to better understand the nuisances within the [AM] process, we can help build confidence in 3D-printed parts, thereby accelerating the adoption of this advanced manufacturing technology.”

Brad Kreger, Velo3D’s CEO, said, “Qualifying 3D-printed parts for production use is a massive challenge and something that has greatly impeded broad adoption of [AM] for commercial aviation and it’s great to see a brilliant organization like NIAR work to solve this. The work NIAR will conduct will not only be invaluable to their organization, but the entire industry. We’re proud to be a part of this effort.”

Brad Kreger hit the nail on the head. As important as every sale is, this is a sale that has significance far beyond the one customer involved, as the specific kind of work that NIAR does means that Velo3D could potentially gain access to the entire aerospace sector based on this initial deal.

In Velo3D’s most recent earnings release, the company noted “delays in the funding of certain governmental projects” as one of the main challenges it will face for the remainder of 2024. That certainly would present difficulties for a company that has lately made such a strong push into the public sector.

On the other hand, the company demonstrates with the NIAR deal that, within the same general space, there are still plenty of opportunities for gaining new business with organizations that already have ample funding at their disposal. And, to reiterate, this customer in particular is the ideal gateway for tapping into all of those other opportunities.