The British Army will acquire SPEE3D’s cold-spray metal 3D printing technology to help develop its unplanned repair capabilities.
In addition to purchasing the XSPEE3D printer, the British Army 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.
When examining additive manufacturing solutions, defense requires technology that can quickly produce parts from well-known metal alloys to address real-time needs and in the field where defense forces are typically located.
The printer is fully transportable as a standard shipping container with the printer and all auxiliary equipment in one box and provides on-demand manufacturing, critical for deployed troops maximizing availability and minimizing downtime. With SPEE3D technology, parts can be manufactured and finished in just hours instead of days for any vehicle and platform, from a wide range of materials, including aluminium 6061, aluminium bronze and copper.
Byron Kennedy, SPEE3D Co-Founder and CEO, said: “We are excited to be invited by the British Army to work closely together and bring our latest printer XSPEE3D to the field, offering a deployable and easy-to-use solution. 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. We look forward to growing our relationship with the British Army. We thank them for trusting us as their partner in this journey.”
Lieutenant Colonel Davidson Reith, British Army, added: “The British Army chose to work with SPEE3D based on their successful track record of partnering with defense forces worldwide to provide the latest additive manufacturing solutions. 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.”