Chromalloy is installing the VELO3D Sapphire in its manufacturing and repair services environment. This industrial AM technology is increasingly being adopted by manufacturers as a solution to offset the high costs of low-volume, direct-part replacement for conventionally produced parts when demand and long-term forecasting are uncertain.

“Chromalloy continues to seek innovative alternatives for our customers to extend the life of their engines and reduce their MRO costs,” said John Green, vice-president, engineering & technology, Chromalloy. “The VELO3D additive manufacturing equipment provides a unique, practical solution for our proprietary LifeX customer solutions.”

According to Chromalloy’s Jim Whitton, director, innovation strategy, “For Chromalloy, 3D printed parts must provide inherent value because they are 3D printed. Otherwise, the printing itself is just a novelty. VELO3D’s unique build capability and material density create high value by reducing post-processing requirements.”

VELO3D will qualify Chromalloy’s machine for 3D printing nickel-based superalloys, including HastelloyX, which is known for its strength and durability characteristics in high temperature environments. VELO3D is renowned for enabling geometric freedom through its patented SupportFree process. The capability to produce practically unlimited geometries eliminates the need to redesign legacy parts in order to produce them with AM. This tremendously reduces the barrier of transitioning legacy parts, produced historically by casting, welding or brazing, to additive manufacturing.

All Sapphire machines come standard with VELO3D's highly automated, user-friendly Flow pre-print software and Assure quality assurance and control system.

“As an industry leader in the aviation MRO space, Chromalloy is an excellent partner for us,” says Benny Buller, VELO3D founder and CEO. “They have the expertise to open up a whole market category of parts. With the flexibility to produce high value, high mix, low-volume parts, AM allows the supply chain to be scaled to market- and customer-specific requirements.”

Whitton added: “For complex gas turbine combustor components that have limited aftermarket availability or high replacement cost, the Sapphire system will allow Chromalloy to produce hardware on-demand, negating high new product introduction tooling costs and lead-times of other methods.”

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