SPEE3D supplies 3D Printer to US Naval Postgraduate School

Australian company SPEE3D has delivered one of its metal 3D printers to the US Naval Postgraduate School. The printer will be used by military students and researchers to test Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) technology.

The XSPEE3D printer, with its innovative Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) technology, will be used in the field of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) for ships, submarines, and air and ground equipment.

“The Naval Postgraduate School chose the XSPEE3D metal 3D printer because of its expeditionary nature that allows it to be contained inside a rugged and deployable metal container and deployed anywhere, including harsh field conditions. Uniquely, it runs on heated compressed air and does not require inert gasses or lasers, reducing risk to the operator. We were also impressed with its capabilities relating to build speeds and maximum part size and its lineup of current and future materials”, said Chris Curran, Program Manager for CAMRE.

This initiative follows the successful field testing of SPEE3D technology at the Marine Corps’ annual Integrated Training Experiment (ITX). There, SPEE3D’s WarpSPEE3D printer was able to print critical spare parts directly in the field.

The technology provides critical benefits to Marine units: Soldiers* and technicians* can quickly and easily produce spare and repair parts directly on site. This minimizes downtime and increases operational readiness.

“We’re thrilled to partner with CAMRE to bring access to our CSAM technology that allows them to integrate efforts with our company further, as well as with NAVSEA and Penn State University’s Applied Research Lab”, said Chris Harris, SPEE3D Vice President of Defense, Americas.

With the Naval Post Graduate School as the newest partner, the trend toward increased use of 3D printing in military applications continues. The technology is expected to continue to play a key role in meeting the needs of the defense sector.