On the cover of TCT Magazine, SPEE3D CEO Byron Kennedy and Director, Corporate Programs EMEA David McNeill discuss additive manufacturing for production, manufacturing in the field, and sustainability.
When you last spoke with TCT, you remarked that ‘when you get into production, it's all about speed.’ What else makes for successful adoption of AM for production?
Byron: Speed and cost are the obvious ones – but there’s also usability. Can you put the technology in a factory or out in the field and rely on it to produce strong, reliable parts without a team of experts operating it? When we launched the XSPEE3D, which comes in a 20-ft container and is made to be transported into the field, we called it expeditionary technology. I like that term, but I also think usability is a good word – our process doesn’t have restrictive safety constraints so it can sit almost anywhere. It also has software built in that enables the user to generate parts without going through iterations of prototyping. It’s built for production, not for the lab, and I think that makes a huge difference in adoption among our customers.
David: Vision is key. This is where our defence partners have excelled and moved the adoption needle quickly and effectively. They focused on an objective and took the steps to get themselves there. Adoption happened relatively quickly as a result and the adoption base continues to expand. Defence hasn’t cut any corners – there’s been rigorous engineering and qualification along the way – but all of that happened to deliver a common vision. Compare this to other industries where I think we sometimes forget to set a vision or objective or forget that we’ve set one. A lot of activity takes place, but that activity gets stuck in the technical weeds. Little progress is made and therefore adoption is stifled.
The company launched in 2017 and since then you’ve introduced multiple solutions to the market based on metal cold spray technology. How would you describe the journey so far?
Byron: Like with most new technology, the path taken was not the one initially envisioned. Coming from a manufacturing background, Steven (Camilleri – co-founder) and I focused our development around that sector. Soon after the first version was released, we were approached by the Australian Army with the request to deploy. We jumped at that opportunity and have grown substantially from that point onwards. Next steps are into parallel sectors: mining, oil & gas, and heavy industries. The manufacturing sector is still our passion, though, and those applications are starting to evolve. Stay tuned…
Australian Army solider holds part 3D printed in field
SPEE3D’s technology has been widely adopted by customers in defence. Why do you think SPEE3D has had such interest from this sector?
David: A combination of the pandemic and global insecurity (Ukraine for one) has caused defence, military, and government to think differently about supply. Commercial industry has had the same issues, but the potential impact has not been as severe for them to act with the pace and vigor defence has. Why SPEE3D? Well, our technology simply meets the technical, commercial, and operational challenges being faced by defence – a need for larger metal parts of simple geometry on demand at the point of need from a financially viable and technically sound source.
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You describe the recent XSPEE3D as “the next generation of deployable metal manufacturing.” Can you elaborate on that and your ambitions there?
Australian Army aluminium bronze bilge pump housing
Byron: Our vision is bold – to have a printer less than two hours from anywhere. As you push the boundaries, SPEE3D will be there. As a soldier, miner, oil rig operator, manufacturer, or space explorer you need access to metal parts, now. To do this, you need technology that is robust, reliable, and above all, useful. XSPEE3D, a fully transportable solution, is enabling this vision to become a reality.
David: SPEE3D’s ambitions are straightforward; to make manufacturing as easy as possible. Listening to the market, they wanted a solution which could be moved anywhere and operated quickly by relatively inexperienced technicians. XSPEE3D is a fully containerised production cell that delivers precisely that capability. We also know that for those clients of ours where operating tempo matters (e.g., defence, natural resources) having the production facility at the point of need adds value in an order of magnitude.
Could that deployable AM concept apply to other industries where on-demand manufacture is needed?
David: Absolutely. We are talking in terms of technology and knowledge transfer here, not concept development.
Defence has shown that Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) and mobile CSAM can be an effective and safe component of an AM strategy. The competitive edge mobile CSAM offers industry is significant; lower costs, higher productivity, less downtime, release of capital, decarbonisation, etc. We see greatest utility in industries like energy and mining where the cost of production outage is high, where capital is tied up in physical spare parts most of which are never used, and where carbon emissions and environmental impact is hard to abate.
This issue of TCT is all about sustainability. What are your general thoughts on AM’s sustainability claims?
SPEE3D's rocket nozzle and six-axle robotic arm
Byron: Before SPEE3D, AM still relied on centralised manufacturing, followed by distribution. By manufacturing only what you need at the point of need, you not only minimise waste inherently, but you eliminate shipping and storage, which translates into a significant reduction in the carbon footprint – not to mention freed-up capital to reinvest in your operations.
David: Generally speaking, AM offers manufacturing a great way to decarbonise. The most sustainable part is one you never make; AM’s ability to produce within a digital warehouse system rather than traditionally physically warehouse parts is the most obvious example of this.
On that, what would you say is unique about SPEE3D’s technology in terms of offering a sustainable manufacturing process?
David: We are learning more every day but SPEE3D has two clear differentiators: Point of Need: around 17% of CO2 emissions of any part is associated with shipping. By manufacturing at or close to the point of need you can eliminate a huge footprint here. Low energy/CO2 process: An internal study demonstrated CSAM emits 60% less CO2 and consumes 33% less energy than the equivalent part made in casting. Generally, SPEE3D is more sustainable from being a “cold” process. Any process which requires heat, lasers, etc. will involve high energy. CSAM relies on kinetic energy, so it’s a bit like keeping the heating in your house down or putting on a cooler wash. Eliminate the temperature/heating issue and you’re instantly being more sustainable.
Are you undertaking sustainability initiatives in-house?
Byron: As an Australian business, we see the effects of climate change in extreme weather like seasonal bushfires and flooding; our colleagues in Europe and the US are experiencing similar issues and we are committed to do our part. We’re in the process of measuring and benchmarking current processes, and then following this, we will do a review and subsequent implementation of key opportunities. We have implemented some early initiatives, such as the eradication of single use materials in our product packaging. Items such as polystyrene are banned, and we will be using recycled/reclaimed materials that can be further broken down and recycled/reused again. A SPEE3D ESG team has been formed to compile more initiatives where we will measure and promote our success, and as we grow, I expect this will accelerate. We have also joined the AMGTA (Additive Manufacturing Green Trade Association) to ensure we play a leading part in how our technology can be a sustainable and environmentally responsible solution.
From left: SPEE3D CEO Byron Kennedy and Director, Corporate Programs EMEA David McNeill
You’ve previously described your vision to take AM to production. In your view, what’s been the most limiting factor standing in the way of that so far?
David: An absence of vision and an obsession to overcomplicate technical processes. Done correctly, vision dictates what technical steps need to take place. Right now, technical processes hold vision for AM hostage. Until this model is broken, AM will sit in the R&D department. This is dangerous because when the economy is squeezed, it will be the R&D budget that gets cut. If we are serious about AM, it’s time to get serious about vision-led adoption strategies. This is what I spend a significant amount of time speaking to industry about. This is not the same as saying we should skip steps or compromise quality, quite the opposite in fact.
What do you see as the biggest misconception about additive manufacturing technology today?
David: That it is not ready for industrial adoption. SPEE3D’s automated approach means process and quality control is attainable. The pace of the system means throughput can be achieved in volumes viable for industry; and not just for prototyping/premanufacturing.
Most recently we’ve seen SPEE3D’s expansion into the European market. What’s next?
Byron: SPEE3D technology less than two hours from anywhere!
