FREMONT, CA, USA, Oct 6, 2026 – Velo3D, Inc. (Nasdaq: VELO) (“Velo3D”), a metal 3D printing technology company that enables customers to build mission-critical metal parts, today announced that Mears Machine Corporation (“Mears”), an Indianapolis-based precision machining and metal additive manufacturing company, has ordered a sixth Velo3D Sapphire XC system. The new system will be dedicated to copper-nickel (CuNi), giving Mears in-house capability to print parts in an alloy family that has historically been cast.
“The test of production additive manufacturing is whether a customer can qualify once and then continue adding capacity and materials as demand grows,” said Arun Jeldi, Chief Executive Officer of Velo3D. “Mears’ purchase of its sixth Sapphire XC system demonstrates that kind of confidence in the platform. With five systems already producing parts in nickel superalloys and aluminum, Mears is now dedicating a new Sapphire XC to copper-nickel, bringing a material critical to shipyards and offshore industries into production right here in the United States.”
Copper-nickel resists corrosion in seawater and holds its properties across a wide temperature range, which has made it a mainstay in shipbuilding, seawater cooling, condensers, and heat exchangers. Mears’ new system will bring that capability into a commercial contract manufacturer’s production fleet.
“Following a period of market, product and technical analysis, our move into copper-nickel additive manufacturing is a strategic decision,” said James Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Mears Machine Corporation. “We are building a vertically integrated Cu-Ni supply chain solution for the industry, with the ability to take a customer from additive design support through additive manufacturing, machining and final inspection—all within one facility. That changes the customer experience significantly by reducing handoffs, shortening the manufacturing chain and giving customers a single accountable partner from concept through finished hardware. For the markets we are targeting, our existing medium-to-large format machining capability is also very well matched to the size and geometry of the components’ our customers need.”
“Some customers are already treating laser powder bed fusion Cu-Ni components as interchangeable with traditionally cast hardware for selected applications. That creates an important opportunity to provide tooling-free replacements for legacy components, particularly where castings are difficult to source, tooling is no longer available, or volumes do not justify traditional foundry investment. At the same time, additive manufacturing gives engineers far greater freedom to develop next-generation heat-transfer and fluid-management hardware, including more integrated geometries, optimized internal flow paths and designs that would be difficult or impossible to manufacture conventionally”
The Cu-Ni system will join Mears’ existing Sapphire XC production fleet, which is already supporting customer programs in Inconel 718, Haynes 282 and CP1 aluminum. Using a common production platform allows Mears to build on existing operating experience, workforce capability, quality systems and machine infrastructure as it introduces the new material. All systems run on Velo3D’s Flow print preparation software and Assure quality reporting. Standardized process controls and software-driven calibration are designed to keep output consistent from machine to machine, so a contract manufacturer serving regulated industries can add capacity behind customer programs it has already qualified, rather than starting over with each new system.
About copper-nickel (CuNi30) additive manufacturing:
- CuNi30 is a 70-30 copper-nickel alloy widely used in marine and naval systems for its corrosion resistance in seawater.
- It maintains consistent mechanical and thermal properties from cryogenic temperatures to approximately 400°C.
About Velo3D
Velo3D is a metal 3D printing technology company that enables customers to build mission-critical metal parts. The fully integrated solution includes the Flow™ print preparation software, the Sapphire® family of printers, and the Assure quality control system—all powered by Velo3D’s Intelligent Fusion® manufacturing process. For more information, visit velo3d.com.
