SPEE3D to go to work in sub-freezing conditions after success in US challenge

SPEE3D has been named a winner at the recent US Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology (OSD ManTech) “Point of Need Challenge”.

SPEE3D is an Australian-based company specialising in cold spray additive manufacturing technology. This uses metal particles shot out of a nozzle at supersonic speeds, fusing together to build near-net shape components.

There were 11 pitch presentations, selected from 63 concept papers submitted, at an event in Pittsburgh on March 8-9. Six successful projects were announced last week.

SPEE3D entered the Staying in the Fight Challenge and partnered with LIFT as their contracted Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII.) LIFT is a registered DoD MII headquartered in Detroit, overseen by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

“Given our proven track record of working with the military in very hot and dry environments, we look forward to demonstrating our expeditionary manufacturing and repair capabilities in sub-freezing conditions,” said Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D, in a statement on Wednesday. 

“We are honored to work with the OSD to showcase our patented Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing technology.”

SPEE3D has partnered with the Australian Army for projects using expeditionary versions of the company’s 3D printing machines.

According to a statement from the US Department of Defense last week, the project goal “is to successfully 3D-print metal parts in a sub-freezing environment that are equivalent in quality to the same parts printed, on the same technology, in a lab environment.”

Follow-on demonstrations are planned for November 2023 “in a simulated cold weather environment”.

Picture: credit SPEE3D

Further reading

Land Forces 2022 – The curse and the benefit of being Australian

Army trial sees expeditionary 3D printing take another step forward

SPEE3D wins award at Military Additive Manufacturing Summit in the US