LE BOURGET—Additive manufacturing specialist Velo3D has added Avio to its customer list, breaking into the large European manufacturer market.
Avio bought two additive manufacturing, or 3-D, printers from Velo3D, the companies said June 21. Both printers are calibrated to produce parts in nickel-based alloy that delivers strength and corrosion resistance at extreme temperatures, they said. Avio will use the printers to manufacture parts for its military and space solid rocket motors.
“In the United States, almost every company that is developing rocket propulsion systems has been using Velo3D printers,” founder and CEO Benny Buller tells Aviation Week’s ShowNews at the Paris Air Show here. “This is the first major European OEM that we have. Not only that, but it’s also a very established OEM.”
Buller says more than 50% of U.S.-based Velo3D’s business is in aerospace. Within the industry, about two-thirds of its customers are prime manufacturers, while the rest are suppliers.
Most of Velo3D’s business supports rocket and missile engine manufacturers, Buller adds. But commercial engine OEMs are showing more interest. Pratt & Whitney purchased a Velo3D last year to evaluate the company’s products for possible integration into its engine production process.
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