(Velo3D: Fremont, CA) -- Velo3D, a leading additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical metal parts, has a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) to rapidly develop and qualify additively manufactured complex parts and assemblies, addressing critical supply chain challenges affecting ground combat vehicles and other military systems.

Upon successful completion and qualification of several prototype AM parts, the Velo3D AM alternatives will be available to the U.S. Army to mitigate current supply chain challenges.

Brandon Pender, associate director, GVSC materials engineering, says, “We are excited for this collaboration between GVSC and Velo3D to identify solutions that will rapidly improve the resilience to the Army’s combat vehicle supply chain. The combination of GVSC’s expertise and long history of advancing vehicle technology for the Army, with Velo3D’s proven capabilities as an industry leader in advanced additive manufacturing, is sure to deliver the solutions the war fighter needs.”

The CRADA leverages Velo3D’s Rapid Production Solution (RPS) to quickly prototype alternatives to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. Additionally, the agreement includes collaboration to explore several Velo3D qualified alloys for use in Velo3D’s Sapphire family of printers—including large-format needs. Velo3D’s RPS leverages its systems, expertise, and surge capacity solutions to enable scalable production of mission-critical parts that would significantly enable the Army’s efforts to reduce supply chain challenges.

Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D, says, “Velo3D is proud to be the first U.S.-based industrial scale OEM with domestically developed laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing technologies to additively manufacture alternatives for the U.S. Army’s ground vehicle supply chains. Through our rapid production solution, we are helping provide faster part delivery, enhanced reliability, and the surge capacity needed to meet evolving defense demands.”

All Velo3D Sapphire printers are assembled in the United States and capable of repeatably printing parts up to 600 mm in diameter and 1 meter in height throughout the entire fleet of Velo3D Sapphire printers. This advancement significantly expands addressable applications, enabling larger part production while offering the many benefits of LPBF technology, such as higher-fidelity printing and Velo3D’s best-in-class, layer-by-layer in-situ process monitoring.

Velo3D’s systems meet U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity standards and can connect securely to military networks, ensuring integrity and security for critical manufacturing operations.

Velo 3D’s efforts will support the U.S. Army’s maintenance modernization and reduce repair delays that affect the Army’s combat vehicle fleet readiness.