British Army taps SPEE3D’s additive manufacturing for unplanned repairs.
When important components break unexpectedly on the battlefield, the longer your supply chain is for replacements, the longer your forces will operate at a disadvantage. If you can simply manufacture a necessary tool or replacement part right in the field, you eliminate a point of weakness.
That seems to be the rationale underlying the British Army’s investment in SPEE3D, a metal additive manufacturing technology company focused on enabling faster and more scalable production than traditional metal printing techniques allow. The British Army will deploy SPEE3D’s metal cold-spray printing for unplanned repairs via the purchase of an XSPEE3D printer and a two-year contract to provide training courses for Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
One feature that makes the XSPEE3D well suited to this application is that it’s built into a customized shipping container that measures 20 feet long, 8 feet deep and 8 feet high and contains both the printer and the necessary auxiliary equipment. That means it has a smaller total footprint than comparable metal 3D printers that also require separate inertized sieving stations and silos.
The XSPEE3D’s build volume and production speed also make it a good candidate for field repairs. It can produce parts as large as 1,000 mm x 700 mm and up to 40 kg in weight, with a deposition rate of up to 100 grams/minute via cold-spraying. As a result, the XSPEE3D’s print times are measured in hours, rather than the typical days for other metal additive processes. The XSPEE3D is compatible with a variety of alloys, including aluminum 6051, aluminum bronze and copper.
The XSPEE3D’s speed and portability give it an obvious advantage over more cumbersome manufacturing technologies when it comes to defense applications, but Byron Kennedy, SPEE3D co-founder and CEO, suggested in a press release that there’s more to it than that. “Working together with defense 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,” he said.
Metal additive manufacturing is often constrained by the need to carefully control the environment within the build chamber (as well as powder storage) by pumping in inert gasses, such as argon or nitrogen. These prevent oxidation and reduce the risk of fire hazards but can also significantly increase production costs. Nitrogen is obviously much less expensive than argon, but it’s also better suited to steel—if you’re 3D printing with aluminum, argon is the better option.
According to the company, the XSPEE3D’s ability to print in “rough conditions” is a result of two factors: its lack of reliance on what the company refers to as “expensive inert gasses” and the self-contained nature of the printer. This suggests that the printer would also be useful for mining or oil and gas applications where repairs in the field can be similarly difficult and costly.
SPEE3D has a slew of case studies for defense applications—almost as many as it does for general manufacturing and OEM production—which suggests that the company has developed its cold-spray technology with printability in a variety of environmental conditions at top of mind.
The company has 3D printed hand tools, brackets, covers and housings as well as industry-specific components, including propellers, manifolds and rocket nozzles. A few of their more whimsical projects include candlesticks, goblets and Thor’s famous hammer: Mjölnir.
Eisenhower once said that, “Battles, campaigns and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.” As armies have grown in size and complexity, the need for organizing and coordinating military forces has become all the more crucial to victory. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of good planning, but technology has always played an essential role: radio communications, the global positioning system, and now 3D printing.
