Velo3D, a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company for mission-critical parts, announced that Hermeus, a company developing hypersonic aircraft for defence and commercial applications, has acquired two Velo3D Sapphire printers for high-volume production: an original Sapphire and a large-format Sapphire XC. Both 3D printers will be calibrated for Inconel 718 and used to create parts for Hermeus’ Chimera engine and Quarterhorse aircraft.
“Metal additive manufacturing is a core component of our plan to vertically integrate production. As we explore the capabilities of Velo3D’s additive manufacturing technology, we’ll be looking for ways to increase performance, consolidate components, reduce weight of our aircraft, and minimize external dependencies.”
– Glenn Case, CTO at Hermeus
Hermeus was founded in 2018 with the goal of dramatically accelerating air travel through the use of hypersonic aircraft. With more than $130 million in funding, including a $100 million Series B and contracts with the United States Air Force, the company is a rising star in the aviation industry. It also has strong backing from NASA and other US government agencies, as well as funding from aerospace innovators such as Raytheon Technologies’ venture capital group, RTX Ventures.
Velo3D Sapphire Printers for Hypersonic Aircraft
The Chimera engine is a combined cycle turbine engine that will power Hermeus’ first aircraft, Quarterhorse, an autonomous aircraft designed to reach high Mach speeds and demonstrate reusability. The first flight of Quarterhorse is scheduled for 2023.
Using Velo3D Sapphire printers which offer end-to-end metal additive manufacturing solution, the hypersonics aerospace company will 3D print parts for its Mach 5 Chimera engine and Quarterhorse aircraft.
“Hypersonics is an extremely challenging subset of the aviation industry and at the speeds that Hermeus will achieve, temperature, vibration, and aerodynamics play major factors in the flight of the aircraft. There are not many teams with the deep experience in hypersonics, aviation, and space flight that Hermeus has, and we’re truly honoured to provide Sapphire printers to help them achieve their goals. I have no doubt that they will bring their vision to life and make hypersonic commercial flight a reality.”
– Benny Buller, CEO and Founder, Velo3D
Because of its ability to create complex, mission-critical parts without sacrificing design, quality, or performance, Velo3D Sapphire printers has seen widespread adoption in the hypersonics and NewSpace industries. Customers can print existing designs without designing the parts for additive manufacturing or obtaining specialised training. The company’s solution also allows teams to iterate on designs faster and greatly simplifies supply chains.
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