Boom unveils supersonic aircraft XB-1

Unveiled today at Boom's hangar in Centennial, Colorado, XB-1 marks a turning point in commercial viability for supersonic travel and demonstrates the power of additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, to enable innovation while accelerating product development.

XB-1 will fly with Titanium 3D-printed components, most of which perform critical engine operations. All parts are manufactured on VELO3D's Sapphire system. "Aviation hardware is especially difficult to manufacture with 3D metal printing, due to challenging aerodynamic designs that must be balanced with superior durability and high-temperature requirements," said Benny Buller, CEO and Founder of VELO3D. 

"We strongly believe that supersonic is the future of flight and we're appreciative of VELO3D in helping us to realize this goal with XB-1," states Mike Jagemann, Head of XB-1 Production at Boom Supersonic.

XB-1 is the world's first independently developed supersonic jet. It will be used to demonstrate critical technologies for Overture, Boom's future commercial airliner, such as advanced carbon-fibre composite construction, computer-optimized high-efficiency aerodynamics, and an efficient supersonic propulsion system.

XB-1 is the end-product of years of development effort, including multiple wind tunnel trials, dozens of structural tests, hundreds of simulation iterations, and tens of thousands of work hours.