SPEE3D chosen to participate in US Navy maintenance technology exercise

Metal additive manufacturing technology company SPEE3D has announced selection by the US Navy to participate in the upcoming maintenance technology exercise MaintenX.

In an announcement on Friday morning (Australian time) SPEE3D said the US Navy was aiming to validate metal AM to improve maintenance and address supply chain issues.

“We understand their operational challenges both on land and sea, and look forward to strengthening our existing relationships with the US Department of Defense as a trusted partner,” said Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D.

SPEE3D’s WarpSPEE3D printers have previously been used in Australian Army trials beginning in 2020, as well as by the Royal Australian Navy.

The MaintenX trial is part of the US Navy’s ANTX-Coastal Trident 2022 – a port and maritime security program – to be held at the Ventura County Naval Base between August 22 – September 2, 2022. MaintenX is sponsored by NAVSEA 05T, the Naval Systems Engineering & Logistics Directorate.

MaintenX aims to accelerate identification and implementation of new technologies by the US Navy and partners in port and maritime security, and consists of various demonstrations and trials for fleet expeditionary maintenance and battle-related support requirements. The demonstrations would be in “a one-on-one setting onboard the Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), currently based at Port Hueneme, CA” according to the statement.

SPEE3D is headquartered in Melbourne and Darwin and its machines are based on the “cold spray” technique, which uses compressed air to blast metal powders through a nozzle at supersonic speeds, fusing them together on a surface. It describes its process as “100 to 1000 times faster than traditional 3D metal printing.”

The announcement follows a win in February by SPEE3D of the Expeditionary & Tactical 3D Printing Excellence Award at an event held by the US Defense Strategies Institute in February.

It also had a second of its machines installed at Phillips Federal’s Rock Island Arsenal facility earlier this year.

Picture: One of the company’s machines (supplied)

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