US university invests in Australian-made Spee3D metal printer

Australian metal additive manufacturing company Spee3D has achieved another export, with the installation of a LightSpee3D machine at Penn State University’s Applied Research Laboratory in the United States.

“Our collaboration with Spee3D is an excellent addition to our current capabilities in metal additive manufacturing and cold spray,” said Dr Tim Eden, head of the Material Science Division at ARL, a US Department of Defense-designated research centre.

“We are looking forward to developing and applying SPEE3D technology to meet the materials and manufacturing challenges of the US Navy, DoD and the industrial base.”

Spee3D makes machines that create parts using cold spray methods, which blast metal powders through a nozzle at supersonic speeds, propelled by compressed air, fusing powder and building up a shape “100 to 1000 times faster” than laser-based AM methods.

The partnership with the university, “will no doubt allow the institution to develop leading research within the field, enabling them to work at the forefront of the industry,” said Byron Kennedy, CEO and co-founder of the Australian company.

According to a conversation with Kennedy earlier this week, the company’s biggest three markets are in research, bureau services, and defence. 

It has sold roughly a dozen units so far, which are available in LightSpee3D and WarpSpee3D models, with the latter having a larger envelope for making parts. 

The printers reportedly sell for between $500,000 and $1 million per unit.

The news follows an SME Innovation Award for the company, presented at the Land Forces 2021 expo earlier this month, for a 12-month trial with the Australian Army. Spee3D is also part-way through a two-year trial with the Royal Australian Navy.

Picture: supplied

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