Precision machining additive manufacturing (AM) Mears Machine Corporation has ordered a fifth Sapphire XC metal 3D printer from metal AM company Velo3D, along with options to purchase two additional units. The Indianapolis-based company said the expanded fleet will support production programs across aviation, defense, energy, and space sectors where it has built a customer base over the past several years.
The order follows a fourth system announced in April 2025, which itself followed three units bought in 2024.
Expanding capacity in nickel superalloys and aluminum
The new system adds production capacity in nickel superalloys and aluminum, including Inconel 718, Haynes 282, and CP1 aluminum, and gives Mears a platform to qualify further materials as customer requirements change.
James Lloyd, CEO of Mears Machine Corporation, said customers are “increasingly looking for manufacturing partners that can do more than build parts,” and that the expanded fleet, lets the company “maintain the responsiveness and lead times our customers expect while supporting larger production programs and continuing to invest responsibly for long term growth.”
Mears combines precision machining, metal AM, and engineering services, working with customers to select applications suited to additive processes, optimize part designs, qualify manufacturing methods, and move parts from development into full scale production. The Sapphire XC platform runs on Velo3D’s Flow print preparation software and Assure quality reporting system, with automated calibration and standardized process controls intended to keep output consistent across multiple machines and sites.
A broader pattern of fleet expansion
Mears’ repeat investment in the Sapphire XC fits a pattern among Velo3D’s contract manufacturing customers, who have expanded their Sapphire fleets as production requirements have grown after qualifying the platform.
Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D, said “manufacturers today are looking beyond prototypes and asking how to scale production with confidence,” adding that Mears’ investment “reflects confidence in both the market opportunity and the value of a scalable manufacturing platform.” For Mears, that has meant building from three Sapphire XCs in 2024 to five now, with room to grow further under the new options.
Oil and gas services company Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Technology purchased a Sapphire XC to expand its capabilities after already operating a standard Sapphire system calibrated for Inconel 718 parts, a step it took as demand from its own customers grew.
An unnamed aerospace customer previously expanded its own Sapphire fleet by ordering four additional systems, bringing its installed base to nine machines total, after Velo3D reported strong feedback on its earlier deliveries.
Repeat orders of this kind suggest that once manufacturers qualify production on a platform, expanding an existing fleet can be a practical way to add capacity while maintaining established workflows and process consistency.
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Featured image shows One of Zeda, Inc.’s Velo3D Saphhire XC 3D printers which is up for sale. Photo via New Mill Capital.
