Metal additive manufacturing company Velo3D and Aurelia Technologies, a Texas-based developer of fuel-flexible, high-efficiency small-scale gas turbines, have announced a strategic partnership to expand the use of 3D printing in gas turbine systems.
The agreement fits into Aurelia’s broader continuous-improvement roadmap, built around consolidating designs, iterating faster, strengthening supply chain resilience, and lowering costs over the long term. For Velo3D, the deal adds an advanced energy application to a portfolio centered on aerospace and defense, reinforcing the company’s case that its technology can shorten development cycles, expand design freedom, and support domestic supply chains.
Rather than using additive manufacturing to chase geometric complexity, Aurelia is applying it to simplification: merging assemblies that traditionally required many parts into fewer, more integrated components. This approach cuts down on fasteners, joints, and tolerance stack-ups while reducing maintenance risk in the high-temperature, high-stress conditions turbine components must endure.
“Additive manufacturing allows us to simplify designs, reduce failure points, and move faster while staying grounded in proven turbomachinery fundamentals and materials science,” said Karol Hricisak, PE, Director of Technology at Aurelia Technologies.
A Phased Program Built on the Sapphire XC
The companies are pursuing a staged additive manufacturing program covering component feasibility studies, material and process development, and eventual qualification and low-rate initial production on Velo3D’s Sapphire XC platform.
Early work concentrates on identifying which turbine components, produced in high-performance alloys, stand to gain the most in performance, lead time, and manufacturability, while keeping the program on a disciplined path toward production readiness rather than rushing parts into service.
Aurelia cited Velo3D’s track record in metal additive manufacturing, its structured qualification methodology, and its capacity to support both development work and scaled production as the reasons behind its selection. The printer maker’s expertise in process parameter development, material behavior, and repeatable manufacturing workflows factored heavily into the decision.
“Advanced energy systems are pushing the limits of traditional manufacturing,” said Michelle Sidwell, Chief Revenue Officer of Velo3D. “Aurelia is taking a thoughtful, engineering‑driven approach by designing with additive manufacturing in mind from the beginning, which is where the greatest impact can be realized.”
Supply Chain and Cost Implications
Beyond engineering benefits, additive manufacturing is central to how Aurelia manages its supply chain. Printing components in-house or on demand reduces reliance on long-lead forgings, tooling-heavy processes, and large inventory commitment, freeing working capital and making the company more responsive to design changes and shifts in demand.
The technology also compresses iteration cycles: geometry updates or new features can move from design to finished part in weeks instead of months, an advantage that serves both near-term product improvement and long-term lifecycle management.
The partnership is structured to grow over time. As Aurelia’s turbine platforms evolve, the companies plan to evaluate additional applications, qualification programs, and production scaling, with deeper collaboration on the table as the initial phases advance.
Partnering to Put AM at the Core of Next-Generation Turbines
The strategy behind the partnership is to expand the use of additive manufacturing in next-generation gas turbine systems by pairing a turbine developer with a dedicated AM partner from the design stage onward. Rather than buying printed parts off the shelf, Aurelia and Velo3D are running a joint, phased program so that AM is engineered into the turbine platform itself rather than retrofitted later.
This partnership model is increasingly how new turbine engines reach production. Recently, Beehive Industries secured a contract to qualify its 3D printed Frenzy 8 jet engine, while Avio’s partnership with Raytheon Technologies has moved additive manufacturing into serial propulsion production using Velo3D Sapphire systems to support output of 200 to 300 rockets per year at its Colleferro facility, evidence that AM partnerships can carry programs all the way from qualification to rate production.
In power generation specifically, the same playbook is active. In January 2025, Hyliion scaled production of its KARNO generator through Colibrium Additive‘s M Line system, and that Upwing Energy integrated Velo3D’s laser powder bed fusion technology to produce Inconel 718 compressor modules, cutting the lead time for a full rotor assembly to 10 weeks with parts validated above 55,000 RPM.
The pattern is clear: new turbine and power systems are being developed hand-in-hand with AM partners, not handed to them afterward. Velo3D and Aurelia are formalizing that model for small-scale gas turbines. The phased program’s progression toward low-rate production will be the measure of its success.
3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here.
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Featured image shows Velo3D and Aurelia Technologies Announce Strategic Partnership. Image via Velo3D.
