Metal additive manufacturing company Velo3D has signed a $6 million contract through which it will develop and qualify copper-nickel alloy (CuNi) for its Sapphire 3D printing series, including the large-format LPBF Sapphire XC 3D printer. The development and qualification of CuNi—commonly used in the maritime industry for its excellent corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity and durability—will ultimately support the U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base and its plans to use 3D printing to accelerate the production and repair of critical ship structures.
Copper-nickel alloys are already broadly used on ships and in maritime settings for applications like seawater cooling systems, pneumatic systems, desalination plants and more. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of CuNi alloys for 3D printing, which could unlock more agile part production and accelerated vessel maintenance. To date, only a small number of 3D printing companies offer CuNi feedstocks, including 3D Systems (CuNi30), EOS (CuNi30) and AML3D, which has been qualifying the material for its Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAM) process through a DoD contract.
The recent contract signed by Velo3D to develop a CuNi alloy for its Sapphire LPBF solutions will expand this small pool and make Velo3D the first American OEM to develop CuNi for its domestically developed 3D printers. The benefit of being able to 3D print CuNi can’t be overstated: it would enable far more rapid production times compared to casting and would help to simplify complex supply chains, resulting in greater resiliency and fleet readiness for the U.S. Navy.
Velo3D emphasizes that this is particularly true with its Rapid Production Solution (RPS), which leverages the company’s systems, expertise and surge capacity to facilitate scalable production of industrial-grade components. “Through our Rapid Production Solution, we are helping provide faster part delivery, enhanced reliability, and the surge capacity needed to meet evolving defense demands,” explained Arun Jeldi, Velo3D CEO.
The qualification of CuNi metal will be led by Velo3D’s development team in Fremont, California. The material itself will be supplied by a domestic, openly sourced metal powder supplier in the interest of maintaining supply chain independence for the U.S. Navy. Velo3D’s printing solutions are themselves suitable for defense applications as they can connect securely to military networks and meet DoD cybersecurity standards.
Ultimately, when Velo3D finalizes the qualification process, the U.S. Navy will benefit from being able not only to print CuNi parts on its Sapphire 3D printers, but to print large parts on the Sapphire XC, which has a build volume of 600 x 550 mm. This could make it the largest LPBF platform to be able to process CuNi powder. In addition to this contract to develop CuNi, Velo3D also recently expanded on an existing partnership with Amaero to qualify its Niobium C103 and Titanium Ti-6Al-4V powders.
