Velo3D Opens Livermore Production Campus to Scale Metal 3D Printing

Velo3D officially opened its Livermore Production Campus, nicknamed Forge 1, last week, tripling the company's metal additive manufacturing footprint in North America. The nearly 289,000-square-foot facility gives Velo3D room to operate more than 40 large-format metal 3D printing systems immediately, with expansion paths beyond 100 systems over time.

The opening comes as aerospace, defense and energy customers push for domestic production of mission-critical metal parts. Velo3D says Forge 1 lets customers move from qualification to full-rate production without leaving the company's ecosystem. Machine assembly, printing, post-processing, inspection and customer acceptance all happen under one roof.

CEO Arun Jeldi framed the investment as more than a capacity play. "Forge 1 represents our commitment to helping customers and our nation build a stronger, more resilient manufacturing foundation," Jeldi said in a statement. The company is the only U.S.-founded large-format laser powder bed fusion OEM that manufactures its hardware, develops its software and deploys systems domestically.

The Fremont headquarters stays in place as the research and development hub. Livermore handles production scale. Together the two sites target up to 125 metal AM systems, making the combined footprint one of the largest in North America.

Local officials welcomed the jobs and tax base. Livermore Mayor John Marchand noted the city is becoming a destination for next-generation manufacturing. The ribbon-cutting on July 15 included Alameda County supervisors, California Senator Jerry McNerney and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, who spoke on industrial base resilience.

Forge 1 will ramp operations in phases as systems install and qualify. The timing aligns with growing defense and aerospace demand for trusted domestic suppliers capable of scaling without the supply chain risks that come from overseas sourcing.