How the moon motivates additive manufacturer SPEE3D

When you’re busy, you might not get to focus on every milestone. This seems to be the case for cold spray additive manufacturing specialist SPEE3D, which marks a decade in operation this year.

In under a year since we last caught up with co-founder and CTO Steve Camilleri, the company has been selected for and participated in further US Department of Defense exercises, opened a manufacturing site and applications centre in that market, had additional machines sent to aid Ukraine, launched a new machine and begun developing another, and more.

When we caught up with Camilleri at the recent Land Forces expo, he said SPEE3D had likely supplied about 100 of its units around the world, with about half of that number coming in the last year. 

The figures are rough, and the tenth anniversary hadn’t been officially marked. Things are just too busy.

“It’s been a very big year. I don’t actually know the current number – we’re building machines every day. But last I heard we were approaching the 100 milestone. So that’s another one to celebrate, I think,” Camilleri tells us.  

“Working very hard, using your brain and being successful has got to be one of the most rewarding things you can do… But we just kind of lose sight of some of these larger milestones when we’re so busy focussed on things that are happening day to day.”

Among other developments contributing to a proverbial full plate is the company’s largest printer yet, which it has dubbed TitanSPEE3D.

According to a statement announcing the project in June, the machine will be able to build parts in dimensions up to 2.4 metre diameter, 1 metre tall, with a maximum of 4.3 metres by 4.3 metres floor area footprint, and a maximum weight of 2,000 kilograms.

It is being developed to meet US DoD needs, Camilleri says, rather than just a desire to just build go bigger for the sake of it.

But besides the continuing demands to solve problems thrown up by military clients, an enduring consideration is “how do I make a perfect space printer?” he adds, perhaps foreshadowing where SPEE3D’s machines will eventually end up.

“How do I make sure that by the time people are talking to us about putting manufacturing capacity on the moon or in the orbit of the moon – in the Gateway station that’s coming up – that we’re the default answer. Because our process is the right process,” says Camilleri. 

“Fundamentally you’ve just got to be able to make a giant pressure vessel by additive manufacturing and I think you’ll win that. That’s my personal view. Because those are very hard to make and very important to have.”

In episode 101 of @AuManufacturing Conversations, Camilleri goes further into that vision – and the general topic of why companies need a guiding vision – as well the importance of in-field testing for product development, celebrating the company’s Australian suppliers, the complementarity of cold spray AM alongside wire arc AM, and more.    

(Editor’s note: This episode is not “paid media”, though in the interests of honesty with our audience we do disclose that SPEE3D is a current advertiser with @AuManufacturing.)

This episode is brought to you by APS Industrial. Providing exclusive access to the market-leading Siemens industrial automation and low voltage electrical portfolio, APS Industrial partners with the best, to bring local industry the best.

Episode guide

1:30 – Marking the company’s decade anniversary.

2:18 – About 100 machines in the field. “Feeling a little mature” now.

3:06 – The importance of vision and knowing the problem you’re trying to solve. 

4:08 – The influence of the casting industry and its issues on SPEE3D’s approach.

6:08 – Calculating costs versus casting.

8:58 – The EMU machine on display at Land Forces. Two shipping containers full of gear. The origin story of this product and development with the Australian Army, learning about the context of the user.

10:10 – Some of the novel problems for AM presented by expeditionary use. “Insects turned out to be a big problem in the field.”

13:20 – Celebrating the highly-capable local companies in SPEE3D’s supply chain.

14:38 – Building large parts and the place of these. The shortcomings of established methods like pit casting and what SPEE3D wants to improve on.

16:30 – Thermal expansion issues.

17:50 – The TitanSPEE3D machine under development. Driven by market demand, particularly US DoD. “There’s real opportunity here.”

18:55 – The importance of manufacturing large metal objects, such as pressure vessels, off-planet.

Further reading
SPEE3D demonstrates additive manufacturing to US military
SPEE3D’s new machine to make Australian debut this week
SPEE3D enters West African 3D print market
SPEE3D opens US 3D print applications centre
SPEE3D, Micro-X, DroneShield and Minelab headed for Ukraine
A decade in and no sign of slowing for Australian AM company
SPEE3D’s new machine to make Australian debut this week
Land Forces 2022 – The curse and the benefit of being Australian