Supernova, the company carved out of BCN3D in February, has announced a new business unit that will ‘pioneer’ the 3D printing of ‘energetic materials.’
The Supernova Defense & Space business unit will seek to address the perceived limitations of traditional manufacturing processes when being used to produced applications such as Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs).
Supernova’s proprietary Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM) 3D printing process is said to be able to handle materials with up to 100 times higher viscosity and that benefit from oligomer chains in their formulations, potentially enabling superior mechanical properties.
With this technology, Supernova has identified an opportunity in processing military-grade formulations that have solid loads exceeding 80% and are typically unsuitable for most additive manufacturing technologies. VLM is said to have successfully demonstrated its ability to process formulations with more than 88% solid loads, and so Supernova has stood up a business that will focus on the printing of miliary-grade formulations like Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP) and Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX). These materials are capable of rapidly releasing significant amounts of energy through chemical reactions and are commonly used in propellants and explosives.
According to Supernova, the combination of its VLM process with these materials will offer high-energy density based on a superior solid-load, stable and homogenous component properties, geometry freedom, rapid prototyping, and on-demand and on-shore production.
“Supernova Defense & Space represents our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to manufacture,” said Roger Antunez, founder and CEO at Supernova. “By pioneering 3D printing of energetic materials, we’re not just advancing technology – we’re providing the tools to the engineers to innovate and reshape the future of defence and space industries.”
