Velo3D, a metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, has announced that Pratt & Whitney has acquired an end-to-end solution from Velo3D to evaluate the Sapphire printer for manufacturing production jet engine components. This is the first Sapphire printer to be located at Pratt & Whitney; it previously utilized Velo3D’s contract manufacturer network to produce printed and finished parts.
“Metal additive manufacturing can transform aviation and space systems by delivering unprecedented part consolidation, lighter weight components, and more efficient systems,” said Benny Buller, Velo3D Founder and CEO. “We’re pleased to see Pratt & Whitney move forward with their own Sapphire XC printer. We’re eager to see how they innovate their most mission critical designs using the end-to-end solution and how the economies of scale of an in-house system help increase addressable use-cases.”
“Pratt & Whitney looks forward to future applications using the Sapphire XC printer, and collaborations with other potential suppliers with the Velo3D capability, for Pratt & Whitney GTF and advanced engine programs,” said Jesse Boyer, fellow, Additive Manufacturing, Pratt & Whitney.
The company’s new Sapphire XC printer is calibrated to print in Inconel 718, a nickel-based superalloy well-suited for extreme temperatures.
