SPEE3D Army field trial
SPEE3D’s WarpSPEE3D metal 3D printing platform has been again deployed successfully in a two-week field exercise by the Australian Army.
This latest effort, carried out in the extreme heat and humidity of the Northern Territory, followed an initial three-day trial in June.
The machine is central to the Army’s 3D printing capabilities and was installed after its partnership with SPEE3D was announced in February. Through this collaboration, the organisations are aiming to boost the supply chain and generate more unique parts for the Australian Army, with production occurring at base and in the field.
Since the WarpSPEE3D machine was installed in June, a number of upgrades and modifications have been made and the platform has been used to produce military-standard metal parts in temperatures up to 37°C and 80% humidity.
“This second field deployment proves our technology is a genuine solution for expeditionary metal 3D printing,” commented SPEE3D CEO Byron Kennedy. “This two-week trial demonstrates the WarpSPEE3D is a robust workhouse that is capable of printing real parts and solving real problems in the field. It also proves that soldiers can take control of the whole workflow of creating the spare parts they need, from design to printing and post-processing, right here where they need them.”
SPEE3D’s WarpSPEE3D machine is powered by a patented metal cold spray technology which harnesses kinetic energy to manufacture parts at quicker speeds. Parts can be produced at sizes of up to 40kg in weight, and 1m x 0.7m in size, using copper and aluminium materials. SPEE3D is working with the Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (AMA) and Charles Darwin University (CDU) to support the Australian Army’s metal 3D printing field trials, with soldiers from the 1st Brigade being trained at CDU since February.
