Velo3D Expands Strategic Partnership with Mears Machine Corporation as Mears Orders Fifth Sapphire XC to Scale Distributed Manufacturing Across Aviation, Defense, Energy, and Space
Mears Machine Corporation deepens its investment in Velo3D technology with the order of its fifth Velo3D Sapphire XC system and options for two additional systems, strengthening its ability to help customers bring mission critical products to market faster through engineering expertise and scalable metal additive manufacturing.
FREMONT, Calif., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Velo3D, Inc. ("Velo3D"), a leading metal additive manufacturing technology company, today announced that Mears Machine Corporation ("Mears") has ordered its fifth Velo3D Sapphire® XC metal additive manufacturing system, with options for two additional Sapphire XC systems. The investment reflects Mears' long-term commitment to supporting customers across the aviation, defense, energy, and space industries with engineering expertise, scalable manufacturing capacity, and resilient domestic supply chains.
The expanded capacity will support existing customer programs while positioning Mears to capture new opportunities across industries where performance, speed to market, and supply chain resilience are increasingly critical. The fifth Sapphire XC expands Mears' production capability in advanced nickel superalloys and aluminum — including Inconel 718, Haynes 282 and CP1 aluminum — while providing a scalable platform for qualifying additional advanced materials as customer requirements evolve. Having established a proven track record of delivering production quality components for customers operating in demanding environments, Mears is investing in additional capacity to maintain the short lead times customers have come to expect while supporting larger production programs and the next generation of innovative applications.
As one of North America's leading advanced manufacturing partners, Mears combines precision machining, metal additive manufacturing, and engineering services to help customers identify the right applications for additive manufacturing, optimize component designs, qualify manufacturing processes, and transition products from development into full scale production.
"Our customers are increasingly looking for manufacturing partners that can do more than build parts," said James Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Mears Machine Corporation. "They need engineering expertise, production capacity, and a scalable manufacturing strategy that can support programs from concept through production. We have demonstrated our ability to deliver for customers operating in some of the world's most demanding industries. Purchasing our fifth Velo3D system, while securing the flexibility to expand our fleet as customer demand grows, allows us to maintain the responsiveness and lead times our customers expect while supporting larger production programs and continuing to invest responsibly for long term growth."
The addition of a fifth Sapphire XC system immediately expands Mears' additive manufacturing capacity, while the options for two additional systems provide a clear pathway for future growth. Powered by Velo3D's comprehensive manufacturing solution — including Flow print preparation software, Assure quality reporting, automated calibration, standardized process controls, and machine to machine consistency — Mears can deliver repeatable production across multiple systems and manufacturing locations. This helps ensure Mears can continue to deliver the quality, scale and speed its customers require as their programs transition from development to production, and enables customers to establish resilient, distributed supply chains while maintaining consistent quality and performance from development through production.
"Manufacturers today are looking beyond prototypes and asking how to scale production with confidence," said Arun Jeldi, Chief Executive Officer of Velo3D. "Mears continues to demonstrate a thoughtful, disciplined approach to growing its advanced manufacturing capabilities. Their investment reflects confidence in both the market opportunity and the value of a scalable manufacturing platform. Together, we are helping customers accelerate qualification, reduce time to market, and establish distributed manufacturing strategies across aviation, defense, energy, and space."
The Sapphire XC platform enables manufacturers to produce large, highly complex metal components that are difficult or impossible to manufacture using conventional methods. By consolidating assemblies, reducing lead times, and enabling innovative designs, manufacturers can improve performance while simplifying production. Combined with Velo3D's software, automation, and quality assurance capabilities, customers can qualify manufacturing processes once and confidently scale production across multiple systems and manufacturing locations.
Together, Mears and Velo3D are helping customers transform additive manufacturing into a scalable production solution. By combining engineering services, advanced manufacturing expertise, and production ready technology, the partnership enables customers to shorten development cycles, accelerate product launches, strengthen domestic manufacturing capability, and establish distributed supply chains across aviation, defense, energy, and space.
With five Velo3D systems in operation and a defined pathway to expand as demand grows, Mears is continuing to build one of North America's premier independent metal additive manufacturing operations. The combination of engineering expertise, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and scalable production infrastructure enables Mears to support customers from concept development through qualification and into full rate production.
As manufacturers increasingly seek domestic, resilient, and scalable manufacturing solutions, the expanded partnership between Mears and Velo3D provides a comprehensive pathway from engineering and qualification to production at scale. With this latest investment, Mears and Velo3D are positioned to support the next generation of production programs across aviation, defense, energy, and space — expanding capacity today to meet the larger, more complex applications these industries will demand tomorrow.
Velo3D, Sapphire and Intelligent Fusion are registered trademarks, and Flow and Assure are trademarks, of Velo3D, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "will", "could", "should", and similar expressions are intended to identify such statements. These include, without limitation, statements regarding Mears' potential exercise of its options for additional Sapphire XC systems; the anticipated benefits of the additional system; expected manufacturing capacity, materials capabilities, and production plans; and expected demand across the aviation, defense, energy, and space sectors. These statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including whether Mears exercises its options for additional systems; the Company's ability to achieve and sustain anticipated production capacity; changes in customer demand and adoption of additive manufacturing; supply chain and manufacturing conditions; and the other risks described under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and its subsequent filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.
About Velo3D
Velo3D is a metal 3D printing technology company that enables customers to build mission-critical metal parts. The fully integrated solution includes the Flow print preparation software, the Sapphire® family of printers, and the Assure quality control system—all of which are powered by Velo3D's Intelligent Fusion® manufacturing process.
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SOURCE Velo3D, Inc.