Australian metal 3D printer manufacturerSPEE3Dhas been chosen by theUS Navyto supply its ‘MAINTENX’ maintenance technology engagement exercise.
As part of the initiative, SPEE3D’s systems are set to be deployed both at port and by sea, during the US Navy’sANTX-Coastal Trident 2022technical demonstrations. Through the R&D program, the US Armed Forces branch aims to assess the potential of metal 3D printing, as a means of carrying out ship battle damage repairs, and reducing its reliance on traditional supply chains at risk of disruption.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the US Naval Warfare Centers to test and validate our unique metal 3D printing capability,” said Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D. “We understand their operational challenges both on land and sea, and look forward to strengthening our existing relationships with the US Department of Defense (DoD) as a trusted partner.”
SPEE3D’s Cold Spray technology
Established by engineers Byron Kennedy and Steven Camilleri, SPEE3D is a manufacturer whose business revolves around its proprietary Cold Spray technology. Unlike ordinary metal 3D printing, which relies on high-powered lasers and expensive gasses, the company’s process uses the power of kinetic energy instead, to jet powders with sufficient velocity to deform and fuse them with substrates on impact.
销售的形式LightSPEE3D and WarpSPEE3D units, the firm’s technology is capable of producing parts up to 1000mm x 700mm in size and 40kg in weight, at speeds it says are 100 to 1000 times faster than traditional metal 3D printers.
So far, the high throughput of these machines has attracted the interest of everyone from on-demand part manufacturers to rocket builders. Early in 2021, service provider3D in Metal installed a WarpSPEE3D3D printer at its El Salvador complex, enabling it to better meet Latin American demand for spare metal parts, before SPEE3D gained funding to help develop低成本的3 d打印火箭引擎.
Cold Spray technology has also proven adept at meeting military demand for a means of producing spares on-site, out in the field. TheAustralian Armyhas been one of the most extensive users of SPEE3D’s systems in such applications, and following astring of successful 3D printing trials去年,Kennedy表示“更大、时间更长,more remote” tests as a validation of their potential in defense.
Likewise, the US military has shown increasing interest in SPEE3D’s portfolio, withPhillips Federal’s Center of Innovationupgrading to a WarpSPEE3D earlier in 2022. This followed the inauguralDefense Strategies InstituteAward for Expeditionary and Tactical 3D Printing Excellence, which the firm won in recognition for its achievements in using its technology to support the US DoD’s mission priorities.
The US Navy’s ANTX-CT trial
Cold Spray technology’s latest military trial will see it deployed as part of ANTX-Coastal Trident, an operational R&D program designed to identify technologies which address US maritime security concerns. Led by the海军水面作战Center’sPort Hueneme Division, as well as partners likeMatter Labs, the 2022 edition of the annual exercises will take place at the Ventura County Naval Base.
In order to pursue its aims of ‘expanding the advantage’ of the naval warfighter and meeting its operational needs via new technologies, the US Navy arm is set to carry out tests of novel approaches to maritime threat mitigation, data-driven decision support, AI, VR, unmanned systems and in-service maintenance later this year.
SPEE3D’s role in the initiative will be to demonstrate the potential of its technology as a portable solution to the latter, that can be deployed as needed to create parts on-demand. According to Kennedy, the firm’s machines are capable of rapidly producing large-scale components “that would otherwise take weeks or even months to manufacture,” while doing so outside of a lab, in hostile environments.
These claims will now be put to the test onboard the US Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), which is currently stationed at Port Hueneme, California, from August 22 to September 2, 2022.
Addressing naval deployability needs
The US Navy has invested heavily in the R&D and utilization of 3D printing technologies, particularly those with the potential to reinforce its supply chain, and enable its service people to produce spare components when deployed at sea.
Desktop MetalsubsidiaryExOne, for instance, has been contracted by theDefense Logistics Agency(DLA) to develop aportable 3D printing factoryfor the US DoD. Set to be housed inside a 40-foot shipping container, the compact production pod is set to contain everything needed to manufacture spares, and be deployable by land, air and sea.
INTAMSYShas developed a similar system for theRoyal Netherlands Navy, in the shape of itsAMCOD 3D printing mobile repair center. Composed of aFUNMAT HTand twoFUNMAT Pro 4103D printers inside a shipping container, the module is designed to help reduce the dependence of Dutch military vessels on traditional supply chains, as well as minimize any downtime caused by part shortages.
Mid-last year,Aurora Labsalso began3D printing stainless steel maritime componentsas part of an initiative carried out alongsideBAE Systems Maritime Australia. Having been identified as a possible provider of powder bed fusion (PBF) technologies, the firm was charged with producing parts designed for fitting onboard nine Australian Navy frigates, before evaluating their commercial viability.
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Featured image shows the WARPSPEE3D 3D printer. Image via SPEE3D.
