British Army to deploy SPEE3D print tech

When examining additive manufacturing solutions, the military requires technology that can quickly produce parts from well-known metal alloys to address real-time needs and in the field wherever armed services are typically located – this is where Australia-based SPEE3D enters the battlefield.

Founded in 2015, SPEE3D spun out of a successful engineering venture that provided the capital necessary for the founders to explore their next undertaking – additive manufacturing.

What sets this company's metal 3D printers apart from the rest is its "supersonic 3D deposition" technology. Rather than using heat to melt metal powders as conventional metal 3D printers do, this patented process accelerates air up to three times the speed of sound through a rocket nozzle.

The sheer kinetic energy of the particles colliding then causes the powder to bind together and form a high-density part with metallurgical properties superior to casting.

With successes, accolades, and testimony from numerous nations' militaries, SPEE3D has broken through the barrier once again and has developed a complete package for servicemen and women in the dangerous line of duty.

After partnering with the British Army as part of the U.S. Army's Project Convergence program to demonstrate the impact of its patented cold-spray technology on military supply chains, the English military power has signed a two-year contract to work with SPEE3D, which will involve delivering training courses, and working closely with the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

"We are excited to be invited by the British Army to work closely together and bring our latest XSPEE3D to the field, offering a deployable and easy-to-use solution," said SPEE3D CEO and co-founder Byron Kennedy. "Working together with defence worldwide, we have explored the impact of additive manufacturing to solve real supply chain problems by printing critical parts on demand and in rough conditions. We look forward to growing our relationship with the British Army."

Fully transportable as a standard shipping container with printer and all auxiliary equipment in one box, SPEE3D's latest XSPEE3D mobile 3D printer has changed logistics forever.

Critical for deployed troops to maximize availability and minimize downtime, the XSPEE3D can manufacture parts in just hours instead of days for any vehicle and platform, and from a wide range of materials, including aluminum, bronze, and copper.

From its initial testing with the Australian Defence Force – in which the company ran its printer through some of the harshest conditions and roughest terrains on Earth – and the United States Navy – witnessing the capabilities aboard seafaring vessels in a different kind of difficult environment – with the British military now on its resumé, its list of military powers has grown to become undoubtedly the most significant in the world.

"The British Army chose to work with SPEE3D based on their successful track record of partnering with defence forces worldwide to provide the latest additive manufacturing solutions," said Lieutenant Colonel Davidson Reith, British Army. "We are proud to be a forward-thinking organization and are always exploring the latest technologies to solve the military's most pressing supply chain issues, which SPEE3D's technology helps us to solve."