Velo3D & Aurelia Tech: 3D Printing for Gas Turbine Systems

Velo3D, an additive manufacturing company, announced a strategic partnership with Aurelia Technologies on advancing the use of additive manufacturing (AM) in “next‑generation” gas turbine systems.

Velo3D has partnered with a variety of companies for its AM technologies including SpaceX, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, Avio and General Motors.

The company says it is known for transforming aerospace and defence supply chains through metal AM.

Michelle Sidwell, Chief Revenue Officer of Velo3D, says: “Advanced energy systems are pushing the limits of traditional manufacturing.”

Velo3D and Aurelia’s partnership on gas turbines

Under the partnership, the companies are collaborating on a phased AM program that includes component feasibility evaluation, material and process development and progression toward qualification and low‑rate initial production using Velo3D's Sapphire XC platform.

Velo3D says its Sapphire XC is built to meet the demands of high-volume manufacturing. Its eight 1 kW lasers and wide build area deliver up to 800 cubic centimeters per hour, making it ideal for large, complex parts.

Aurelia is a developer of efficient and fuel‑flexible small‑scale gas turbines. It is partnering with Velo3D for AM in its “next‑generation” gas turbine systems.

Michelle adds: “Aurelia is taking a thoughtful, engineering‑driven approach by designing with AM in mind from the beginning, which is where the greatest impact can be realised.”

Why Aurelia is using AM 

As Aurelia continues to improve its turbine platforms, the company says AM has emerged as a practical tool to simplify designs, reduce part counts and improve robustness in high‑temperature, high‑stress environments. 

Aurelia is using AM to consolidate traditionally multi‑part assemblies into fewer, more integrated components, reducing fasteners, joints, tolerancing stack‑ups and long‑term maintenance risk.

Karol Hricisak, PE, Director of Technology at Aurelia Technologies, says: “AM allows us to simplify designs, reduce failure points and move faster while staying grounded in proven turbomachinery fundamentals and materials science.”

In a press release, Velo3D says that initial efforts between the two companies will focus on evaluating where AM can deliver tangible benefits in performance, lead time and manufacturability across select turbine components and high‑performance alloys, while maintaining a disciplined path toward production readiness.

Additive manufacturing expanding

AM offers enormous benefits, including less hard tooling and assembly. In the long run, additive manufacturing can completely change the way products are designed and built, as well as distributed, sold and serviced, according to McKinsey.

The technique has been used to manufacture parts in the energy sector before, with Siemens Energy at the forefront of industrialising AM for the high-performance parts of its gas turbines. 

The technology is increasingly used across automotive, defence and aerospace sectors.

Earlier this year, Velo3D was awarded a US$9.8m contract with the US Department of War, supporting an initiative aimed at accelerating adoption of additively manufactured components across Department of War sustainment operations.

Dr. Arun Jeldi, Chief Executive Officer of Velo3D, said at the time: "AM provides the Department of War with a powerful tool to improve supply chain responsiveness and reduce sustainment risk.”