SPEE3D additively manufactures metal parts on US Naval ship
September 12, 2022
SPEE3D, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, has stated that its WarpSPEE3D Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing machine was recently used on board a US Naval ship to successfully additively manufacture a number of components as part of NAVSEA’s REPTX (Repair Technology) exercise.
The WarpSPEE3D additively manufactured five bronze anchors while the vessel was engaged at sea; each of these parts was manufactured with the same results and within six minutes each time. In addition, the SPEE3D team assisted other companies with their trials, helping additively manufacture a wide range of components, including pressure fittings for pipes, protective boxes for naval equipment, and manufacturing mechanisms for robotic arms.
“Our goal during REPTX was to successfully test WarpSPEE3D’s deployable technology to print maritime military parts on demand and in various sea conditions,” stated Steven Camilleri, co-founder and CTO of SPEE3D. “We’re thrilled the results are favourable and that SPEE3D is the world’s first to print parts on a ship. We understand the operational, economic, and supply chain issues the military faces and look forward to continuing to work with US Defense to help solve some of these challenges.”
REPTX is currently being conducted as part of ANTX-Coastal Trident 2022, which has over sixty naval, academia, and industry participants. The trial consists of a series of technical demonstrations, field experiments, and exercises, both discussion, and operations-based. The project aims to identify, validate and implement new technologies – including Additive Manufacturing – to help reduce supply chain issues, perform maintenance operations more efficiently, and limit travel time back to port.
