VELO3D received an order for a next-generation industrial 3D metal printer with a vertical axis of 1 meter. The system will be shipped in the fourth quarter of 2020 to precision-tool and component manufacturer Knust-Godwin, which will use it to produce parts for an oil-and-gas application. The immediate part opportunity that Knust-Godwin will address with the Sapphire printer is a part for oilfield drilling that is currently manufactured by more than five subtractive processes. Additive manufacturing enables consolidation of such traditional processes, improving part quality and part performance. According to VELO3D, a 1-meter-tall system enables industrial applications that couldn’t be built before, especially for oilfield service tools and flight hardware.

The printer includes a 315-mm-diameter build plate, dual 1-kW lasers and in-situ optical calibration. According to VELO3D, it will be the world’s tallest production metal-powder laser additive-manufacturing system.