Metal job shop Vertex Manufacturing (Cincinnati, OH) has selected advanced additive manufacturing systems provider Velo3D (Campbell, CA) to help meet its growing demand for 3D-printed “impossible” metal parts.
Vertex Manufacturing was founded by additive manufacturing pioneers Greg Morris, Steve Rengers, and Tim Warden, previously of Morris Technologies (MTI; also in Cincinnati), to leverage their advanced manufacturing and technology backgrounds to help companies solve some of their most difficult problems.
At MTI, Morris, Rengers, and Warden were best known for their work with GE Aviation’s 3D-printed LEAP Engine fuel nozzle used in commercial aviation. The LEAP Engine fuel nozzle was one of the first metal additively manufactured parts to be certified for flight by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Morris is also recognized for his early expertise in industrial metals such as titanium and for integrating additive manufacturing with traditional manufacturing floor systems. MTI was acquired by GE Aviation in 2012.
“With unique technology providing the capability to create production parts that would be impractical or impossible using other methods, our new additive manufacturing solution from Velo3D means customers will have even more freedom to design and engineer some of the most complex geometries imaginable,” says Morris, who is cofounder and CEO of Vertex.
Vertex will take delivery of its first full-stack Velo3D Sapphire solution in July 2021, which will be set up to print metal parts in Inconel 718, a nickel-based superalloy known for its superb tensile strength when subjected to extreme pressure and heat. It will be installed alongside other advanced manufacturing systems such as a Makino a61nx CNC machining center. Vertex says it plans to add additional Velo3D solutions in the future based on feedback from existing customers.
In March 2021, Velo3D announced plans to merge with JAWS Spitfire Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: SPFR) and become a public company.