Velo3D has appointed Brad Kreger as Vice President of Operations. He has worked at Thermo Fisher Scientific, among others, and has experience in quickly scaling up a production company. He must help the American manufacturer of metal printers to scale up production while maintaining quality and reducing costs.
In his new role as production supervisor, Kreger will lead all operational activities at Velo3D, including global logistics, manufacturing, quality and purchasing. Kreger will also be responsible for managing partnerships with key suppliers and automating planning and purchasing processes.
Increase production volume in 2023
Velo3D is currently increasing production volume on its latest Sapphire XC printer, which offers one of the largest build volumes in the metal LBPF systems class. In 2023, the company aims to increase production of the Sapphire XC printer and reduce costs. “Running global operations at a company that is growing as fast as Velo3D is an incredible challenge, but Brad is well suited to help us take it to the next level given his extensive background working with growing companies that deliver highly advanced hardware, said Benny Buller, founder and CEO.
Multiple machines from Velo3D
Velo3D is particularly successful in the American aerospace industry, partly due to the large construction volume. The company also scores well in the medical industry. During Formnext, Velo3D announced that it has sold two Sapphire XC printers to American supplier Vertex Manufacturing. These machines process Inconel 718 and GRCop-42 (a copper, chromium and niobium alloy developed by NASA) into parts up to 600 mm in diameter and 550 mm high. Vertex already has several Sapphire AM systems from Velo3D. The supplier is the first to process the NASA_alloy.
Shorter production cycles
“As the AM landscape matures, the technology has become invaluable. It enables faster product development and significantly shorter production cycles,” said Tim Warden, VP of Sales and Manufacturing at Vertex Manufacturing. “Velo3D’s fully integrated solution enables our customers to print difficult geometries with limited support structures, so they can focus on optimizing their parts rather than having to adjust designs and make compromises.