Velo3D, Inc (NYSE: VLD), a leader in metal additive manufacturing technology, today announced that Kratos SRE, Inc, a subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc (NASDAQ:KTOS), has purchased a Velo3D Sapphire printer. This move is aimed at supporting Kratos’ technology development and meeting the growing needs of defense industry customers quickly, reliably and cost-effectively.
Velo3D’s state-of-the-art metal additive manufacturing approach will be used in Kratos SRE’s expanding rapid prototyping and manufacturing center. Here, it will help accelerate the vertical integration of critical supply chains in specific areas of the wider Kratos organization.
“It’s important to our team to leverage new, advanced manufacturing technologies so we can maintain our leadership in the defense industry and better serve our customers,” said Michael Johns, Kratos SRE Senior Vice President. “With Velo3D’s solution, we expect to be able to further unlock high-speed manufacturing capabilities that reduce lead times and lower costs of the parts we develop. In addition, it will allow us to rapidly innovate and accelerate design cycles for parts used in existing platforms.”
Kratos SRE is a long-time user of Velo3D’s metal additive manufacturing solution and utilizes the technology through the Velo3D Contract Manufacturer Network. The focus is on designing and building parts, systems and structures for extreme environments. Kratos SRE also leads the Additive Manufactured Metals Characterization (CAMM) program, which analyzes additive materials to understand process variations in samples and test designs prior to mass production. The data collected through CAMM feeds into a materials database of key process variations, which is used to better understand the properties of additively manufactured parts and identify new applications for the technology.
“Forward-thinking defense companies like Kratos are increasingly adopting additive manufacturing technology because it can enable continuous design improvements and unlock highly scalable production to meet fluctuating demands,” said Brad Kreger, Velo3D CEO and EVP of Operations. “The beauty of our solution is that companies can begin by leveraging the Velo3D Contract Manufacturer Network and then purchase their own printer as their demand for parts increases. Once their needs exceed the throughput capability of a single machine, it’s simple to scale production to other printers, including our large-format Sapphire XC.”
As a US-based additive manufacturing technology provider, Velo3D’s fully integrated solution is widely used by US defense contractors supplying parts to US Department of Defense (DoD) departments. All Velo3D printers are designed and built in America and recently achieved the highest level of security compliance offered by the DoD – Green-level Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) compliance. This certification allows Velo3D printers to connect to the DoD’s Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet), making it easier for organizations and businesses to acquire the printers for DoD-related projects.
Velo3D and Kratos SRE will be attending the Military Additive Manufacturing Summit & Technology Showcase in Tampa, Florida on January 16 and 17, 2024. Velo3D will be giving a presentation on “Solving DIB Supply Chain Logistics with Distributed Additive Manufacturing” on the main stage at 3:05pm on the first day of the conference. Visitors to the event can stop by Velo3D’s booth #101 to meet the Kratos SRE and Velo3D teams, learn more about Velo3D’s fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution, and see and touch 3D printed parts.
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