Velo3D opening 289k-sq-ft facility in Livermore to triple metal AM production

Citing a growth in demand from the aerospace and defense sectors, metal AM company Velo3D is opening a new production facility in Livermore, California. The site, which spans 289,000 square feet, will operate over 40 Velo3D metal 3D printers when it officially opens later this year, with the capacity to eventually scale to over 100 systems.

Velo3D, which specializes in support-free LPBF, has experienced increased demand for its technology as well as printed parts from aerospace and defense customers. In the past six months alone, the company was awarded a $32.6 million contract with the US DoW for prototyping and qualifying AM components; entered into a CRADA agreement with the US Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center to develop and qualify 3D printed assemblies for ground combat vehicles; and secured a multi-year production contract worth $11.5 million with a US defense prime contractor.

This growth has led the company to invest in a new production facility that will complement its existing headquarters in Fremont, California. While the latter will continue to be used for R&D, applications engineering, process development, customer collaboration, prototyping, and qualification activities, the new facility in Livermore will be production focused. With these two sites, Velo3D will be equipped to cover the entire process chain for aerospace and defense application development, qualification, and production.

Spanning 289,000 square feet—about the size of five American football fields—the new Livermore facility includes 270,000 square feet of manufacturing space (with over 36-foot clear heights). This space will house a fleet of metal AM systems as well as machining and post-processing capabilities, all geared towards the production of mission-critical components.

“This expansion is a reflection of the increasing demand we are seeing from customers who want to move beyond prototyping and qualification into production,” commented Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D. “Our customers are looking for more than technology. They are looking for a trusted partner that can help them qualify applications, scale production, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate innovation.”

For the city of Livermore, where the federally funded R&D center Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is based, the opening of this new facility signals its role as a hub for advanced industry. As Livermore Mayor John Marchand said: “Livermore is where Bay Area innovation gets built.” On a broader scale, the new metal AM production facility is part of the growing trend to establish stronger domestic manufacturing in industries like aerospace, defense, and energy. According to Velo3D, with its expanded footprint, it will be operating one of North America’s largest advanced metal AM environments.

Finally, the upcoming production site in Livermore demonstrates Velo3D’s commitment to its Rapid Production Solutions (RPS) framework, in which customers can access qualified production and manufacturing support without investing in the hardware themselves.

As Michelle Sidwell, Chief Revenue Officer of Velo3D, said: “We believe additive manufacturing should be accessible, scalable, and production-ready. Customers are increasingly seeking flexible ways to adopt additive manufacturing without the burden of significant upfront investment or manufacturing risk. Through our technology, Rapid Production Solutions, engineering expertise, and distributed manufacturing network, we help customers move confidently from qualification into production while improving supply chain resilience and accelerating time to market.”