Metal additive manufacturing provider announces agreement with Ohio Ordnance Works.
The defense sector is a fecund market for metal additive manufacturing (AM) these days. DARPA just announced funding for research on the durability of metal AM parts and Cummings Aerospace recently completed tests of a new loitering munition that incorporates 3D printed parts to reduce production costs.
One of the major drivers for this growth is the desire to shore up the local industrial base for defense manufacturing using new technologies, and the latest example comes from an agreement between metal AM supplier Velo3D and Ohio Ordnance Works, a Class 3 weapons manufacturer. Under the agreement, Velo3D will provide application engineering, additive design, and analysis services for an Ohio Ordnance Works initiative to develop 3D printed military weapons.
According to Velo3D, the collaboration focuses on the early stages of development, specifically design engineering and design services, using the metal AM supplier’s knowledge of design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) and materials analysis to bolster R&D at Ohio Ordnance Works.
“We are excited to collaborate with Ohio Ordnance Works on this critical defense initiative,” said Velo3D CEO Arun Jeldi in a press release. “Through our application engineering, additive design, and analysis services, we are supporting OOW in the development phase to ensure that their components are optimized for 3D printing. This partnership enables us to help OOW streamline their design process, enhance performance, and ultimately meet the demanding needs of the defense sector.”
“At Ohio Ordnance Works, we are committed to delivering the highest-quality military components to our defense partners,” said Robert Landies III, President of Ohio Ordnance Works in the same release. “By partnering with Velo3D, we can leverage their expertise in application engineering and design for additive manufacturing to optimize our design processes and ensure that we are producing parts with the precision, speed, and quality our military customers expect.”
This announcement follows several recent changes in leadership at Velo3D, including Retired Navy Rear Admiral Jason Lloyd joining the company’s board of directors and the appointment of retired Green Beret Brice Cooper as Velo3D’s VP of defense and government relations.
Lloyd previously served as the chief engineer at Naval Sea Systems Command and held multiple positions at Newport News Shipbuilding, including commanding officer of supervisor of shipbuilding from 2017-2020 and as the first reactor officer on USS Gerald R. Ford from 2013 to 2016.
Cooper was CSO at the robotics defense company Allen Control Systems, and before that he spent six years as Product Portfolio Manager at U.S. Special Operations Command and the Congressional Budget Liaison for the U.S. Army and as a Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives.
With the additions of people such as Lloyd and Cooper, who have extensive experience in the defense sector as customers, suppliers, and advisors, we should expect more announcements like the agreement with Ohio Ordnance Works coming from Velo3D in the near future.
