Valiant Products buys Metal 3D Printer from Velo3D

3D printer manufacturer Velo3D announced that fabricator Valiant Products has acquired a fully integrated metal 3D printing solution to expand its additive manufacturing capabilities for its aerospace customers.

The acquired equipment includes a Sapphire XC printer specifically calibrated to process Inconel 718, a nickel-based alloy. This alloy is widely used in the manufacture of aerospace parts and industrial applications. Valiant Products also plans to upgrade its new Sapphire XC printer to the Sapphire XC 1MZ model, which can produce parts up to one meter in height.

Valiant Products, a company founded in 1975, has many years of experience in both conventional and additive manufacturing technologies. In nearly 50 years of business, the company has continually adopted new manufacturing technologies to meet the needs of its innovative customers.

The decision to purchase Velo3D’s Sapphire XC printer came about when a mutual customer in the aerospace industry wanted to integrate Velo3D’s additive manufacturing technology into their supply chain to produce rocket engine components.

“Bob English and the entire Valiant team have a long legacy of adopting innovative approaches to solving their customers’ challenges. Through the process of installing their Sapphire XC, we’ve been continually impressed by their attention to detail,” said Michelle Sidwell, Velo3D EVPof Global Sales and Business Development. “With their proximity to the Cape Canaveral launch pads, they will be a great resource for aerospace customers looking to produce parts for rocket and air-breathing engines. We welcome them to our contract manufacturer network and look forward to seeing how our joint customers use their services and our fully integrated solution to transform their supply chains.”

Valiant Products offers its customers a wide range of manufacturing services, including heat treatment, precision machining, wire erosion and sheet metal working. This enables the company to manufacture parts and assemblies from start to finish.

“At Valiant Products, we continually evaluate new manufacturing technologies to ensure our customers have access to the best capabilities that can produce the most complex designs and geometries,” said Bob English, Founder and CEO of Valiant Products, Inc. “Solutions like Velo3D’s metal 3D printing technology unlock new manufacturing capabilities for us so we can better serve our customers. We are confident that our customers will fully leverage the technology to build lighter weight, more performant parts.”

Through Velo3D’s contract manufacturing network, companies can explore the company’s printing capabilities without having to purchase their own equipment. This also strengthens their supply chains as they can obtain parts from multiple vendors. Because Velo3D offers a fully integrated solution that includes Flow print preparation software, Assure quality assurance software and the underlying Intelligent Fusion manufacturing process, customers can produce parts on any printer using the same print file without extensive recalibration.

Inconel 718 is a high-strength nickel-based alloy that offers corrosion resistance even at extreme temperatures and pressures. This alloy is widely used in the manufacture of mission-specific components in the aerospace industry. By 3D printing parts from Inconel 718, many rocket propulsion companies have been able to significantly reduce the weight of their engines while improving performance. This allows the final engines to increase their thrust-to-weight ratio and carry larger payloads into orbit than is possible with conventional production methods.