Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What is Velo3D’s Unique Value Proposition?
Velo3D provides an end-to-end metal 3D printing solution for mission-critical parts used for space exploration, to enhance transportation efficiency, and to produce cleaner energy. Our advanced solution helps innovators build the complex parts they need without compromising design or quality, empowering the visionaries of today to build the technologies of tomorrow.
The Velo3D metal AM solution is comprised of four distinct components: Flow™ print preparation software; Sapphire® family of metal 3D printers (Sapphire®, Sapphire® 1MZ and Sapphire® XC); and Assure™ real-time quality assurance software, all of which is enabled by Intelligent Fusion®, a highly intelligent processes that binds all of the above into one complete end-to-end manufacturing solution.
What Industries Does Velo3D Support?
Our focus is currently on solutions for businesses in the aerospace, aviation, industrial power, and oil & gas industries which have enormous catalogues of specialized parts. Production of these parts using conventional subtractive manufacturing techniques generally comes with very long lead times and high embedded cost structures relative to additive manufacturing (AM) solutions. Further, production of these high value parts using subtractive manufacturing techniques require the combination of many smaller parts into the final product.
What Are Typical High-Performance Metal AM Parts Printed for Aerospace, Energy, and Defense?
- Impellers
- Heat Exchangers
- Specialized Valves
- Rocket Nozzles with Internal Cooling
- Static Mixers
- Turbines, and
- Combustors of all types
What is the Target Velo3D Customer Profile?
What are the Benefits of the Velo3D End-to-End Solution?
The Velo3D end-to-end metal AM solution cuts lead time for traditionally manufactured parts by up to 75% without transportation delays, production line modification costs, supplier management and compliance costs, inventory, and warehousing costs, all while providing the production flexibility to instantly respond to customer and market demands.
Our solution provides the freedom to instantly choose where you need to produce/deliver a part. Simply upload the Velo3D “Golden Print File” to any Velo machine of like alloy. This one standard print file allows you to build that exact part on any Velo machine anywhere in the world—or any machine across the fleet in your own facility—without additional production line set up expense.
Will Metal AM Ever Reach Scale to Have Printers on the Manufacturing Floor?
Do Customers Need to Buy the System Vs. Just Get a Part at a Service Provider?
Companies have options to get the complex parts they need without design or quality compromise. Velo3D has built a global network of Contract Manufacturers that can produce parts as needed. The company also provides purchase options for our family of metal AM solutions enabling companies to start small and grow over time.
- Sapphire® for development and low volumes
- Sapphire® 1MZ for taller parts, and
- Sapphire® XC for production volume scale
What is SupportFree™
Flow™ Print Preparation Software
Do You Offer Print Preparation Software, Or How Do I Prepare the Print?
Flow™ print preparation software is included with each purchase of a Velo3D solution. Flow™ ensures predictable print outcomes while significantly reducing print preparation time. Driven by a powerful, integrated simulation engine and co-developed with Sapphire®, Flow™ unlocks parts previously impossible to print with conventional additive manufacturing.
What Import File Formats Do You Support?
Can You Import Lattice Structures?
Do You Accept Slices Generated in Other Preparation Software?
Are the Supports Auto-Generated or Can I Override/Design My Own?
In Flow™, is It Possible for the User to Specify What Kind of Properties Are Wanted in Certain Areas of the Part?
Sapphire® Metal AM Family of Printers
What Are the Velo3D's Sapphire® Build Volumes?
Sapphire® 1MZ – ø315mm x 1000mm
Sapphire® – ø600mm x 550mm
What Is the Sapphire® Laser Configuration?
Sapphire® XC Printer – 8 1k Lasers
What Are the External Dimensions of the Machine?
Sapphire® XC – Total system footprint is 8.53m x 3.35m x 4.25m
Do I Have to Interrupt a Build to Refill Powder?
Does the Recoater Wear During a Build?
Can I Reuse the Overflow/Unused Powder?
What Is the Lowest Angle of a Design that Sapphire® Can Print Without Supports?
How Does the System Respond to a Power Failure?
What Happens When the System Discovers an Error?
What Monitoring and Diagnostics Do You Report?
What Is the Maximum Inner Diameter of a Tube or Hole Size That Can Be Printed Without Supports?
What is the Highest Aspect Ratio That Can Be Printed?
What Surface Roughness is Achievable?
What Kind of Post-Processing is Required After a Part is Printed?
Are the Printers Able to Print Geometric Designs?
Is the Velo3D System Capable of Producing Inorganic Shapes from Models Created by Generative Design?
What is Special About Your Recoater? What Does It Enable?
Assure™ Quality Assurance and Control Questions
Does Velo3D Offer a Quality Control Solution?
Yes. We offer the Assure™ Quality Assurance and Control System to customers of Velo3D Sapphire® metal 3D printers.
What Does Assure™ Do?
How Does Assure™ Improve Quality for 3D Printed Parts?
What Type of Documentation is Available for Printed Parts?
Is Assure™ Available for Printed Parts Outside of the Velo3D Solution?
Is Assure™ Necessary to Run a Velo3D Sapphire® Metal 3D Printer?
Assure™ is not necessary to operate the Sapphire® printer itself. However, Assure™ is essential to the high-quality output of the end-to-end metal AM solution, traceability, reporting, and compliance.
Which Web Browsers Support Assure™?
Assure™ has been optimized for Chrome and Safari. It may not display correctly with other browsers. However, if you are using a recent Microsoft Edge browser that is Chrome based will work as well. Assure™ uses JavaScript. If you have a JavaScript blocker, please disable it.
What Type of Quality Testing is Done to Validate Parts? Non-Contact 3D Scanning, Acoustic, or Destructive?
Do You Have In-Process Inspection?
Intelligent Fusion® Underlying Manufacturing Process
What is Intelligent Fusion®
How does Intelligent Fusion® Work?
Process Simulation
The simulator has a deep understanding of physics fundamentals, for a wide range of complex parts. This in turn informs an Object Pre-print Correction (OPC) utility that counter-deforms a part, assuring dimensional accuracy of the final part.
The simulation engine generates approximate simulation data-driven parametric models that are used as sophisticated feed-forward instructions for the printer. The extensive real-time metrology of process data during a build from over 950 sensors provides a rich source of data that can be used to re-fine the parametric models used in Velo3D control systems. This capability, coupled with powerful machine learning techniques, allows for iterative refinement of the AM process by fleet learning.
Geometry-Based Detection
Intelligent Fusion® is the key enabler for printing at low angles without the use of print supports. Specialized processes (recipes) were designed to minimize thermo-mechanical distortions and ensure high-quality surfaces at build angles as low as zero degrees.
Highly intelligent and sophisticated software uses geometric feature detection to apply the optimal physical processes to the appropriate features. To be able to do that, each geometric model is decomposed into various distinct geometric features and the appropriate optimal process is then applied automatically.
Additionally, the geometric feature detection algorithms use information from multiple layers, leveraging information from previous layers to define the print strategy for the next layer. The software can modify or adjusting parameters of the feedforward model and passing them on as instruction sets to the printer.
Monitoring the Build Process
To achieve consistent material properties across a printed part and reduce print variability from build to build, the Velo3D system ensures that every relevant build parameter is monitored throughout the build process.
Natural process instabilities caused by minute hardware and powder variations as well as the uncertainties in the feed-forward simulation model can cause the process to drift outside the acceptable range, thereby affecting the final part outcome. Intelligent Fusion® solves this problem by measuring in real time and using that as real-time data to adjust process parameters in-situ to ensure consistent outcomes.
To achieve consistent material properties across a printed part and reduce print variability from build to build, the Velo3D system ensures that every relevant build parameter is monitored throughout the build process.
Material and Process Questions
What Materials Do You Support?
Velo3D Sapphire metal AM printer is now qualifies with:
Aluminum F357, Amperprint® 0233 Haynes® 282®*, GRCop-42, Hastelloy® C22, Hastelloy® X, Inconel® 625, Inconel® 718, Scalmalloy®, Ti64 Grade 23, and Ti64 Grade 5.
*The nickel-based superalloy powder is developed for use in the Sapphire family of printers, produced by Höganäs AB—a world leader in metal powder production—under license from Haynes International.
For LPBF, How Many Times Can the Powder Be Reused? How Does Your System Recycle Powder?
Powder can be used virtually indefinately then returned to the powder hopper. Unused powder is vacuumed up and sieved to remove clumps or welding slag. Powder remains in an inert environment as long as you are careful to vacuum up all the powder when the build is done and before opening the chamber.
Service and Support Questions
What is Your Technical Support Commitment to Customers?
We believe that selling a unit is just the beginning of a professional relationship. We are committed to support in all forms (Phone, email, in-person). Your success is our success.
How Does Velo3D Help a Customer Through the Process?
Our dedicated applications engineers are there for you through every step of the AM process, shepherding the design, development, POC, and manufacturing phases to ensure the best project outcomes. In many ways, we become an extension of your existing team.
Does Velo3D Have Global Support?
Velo3D is a global company with offices and representation in North America, Asia, and Europe.
What is the SLA for Velo3D Support?
Velo3D has an extensive Service Agreement that includes PM, Repair Parts, Select Upgrades, Product Support, and Software licenses. Product Support under our standard service Level agreement includes Access to Customer Support Portal: Software, documentation, ticketing, product notices, service history, knowledgebase, file transfer (SFTP). Assigned Customer Success Agent: Weekly meetings and customer support responses. Applications Support: Training, part reviews, and slicing support. Engineering Support: Quarterly priorities alignment, advanced troubleshooting as required.
How Do I Reach Out to Velo3D to Assist with a Part, or Find Out More About a System?
Simply click on “Speak with an Expert” at the top of any page on this site, complete our contact form, and one of our experts will reach out promptly to answer any questions and discuss specific products or applications with you.