Victorian additive manufacturing company, SPEE3D has announced the British Army will acquire its cold-spray metal 3D printing technology to help the army's unplanned repair capabilities.
In addition to purchasing the XSPEE3D printer, which was launched in 2022 at Land Forces, the British Army has signed a two-year contract for SPEE3D to deliver training courses and work closely with the British Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
Addressing real-time needs
When examining additive manufacturing solutions, defence requires technology that can quickly produce parts from well-known metal alloys to address real-time needs and in the field where defence forces are typically located.
XSPEE3D is a leading solution in the market that addresses these requirements.
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 maximising availability and minimising 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.
SPEE3D have been an ardent supporter of strengthening the internal manufacturing capabilities of military forces worldwide.
Most recently, they partnered with the British Army as part of the US Army’s Project Convergence program to demonstrate the impact that its patented cold-spray technology can have on military supply chains. In the field, the British Army and SPEE3D team were able to print critical replacement parts in just minutes or hours, before these parts were post-processed and put to use for various armoured vehicles at Fort Irwin throughout the exercise.
SPEE3D have also worked with the U.S. Navy, taking part in their REPTX exercise to test the WarpSPEE3D’s deployable capabilities to print maritime military parts on demand and in various port and sea conditions.
The company has a long-standing relationship with the Australian Army on several projects over several years to test and validate metal 3D printing as a military capability for the field – taking the WarpSPEE3D thousands of kilometres into the harsh bushland of the remote Northern Territory, as part of exercise Koolendong.
The world's fastest and most innovative metal additive manufacturing technology
Focused on the development, assembly, and distribution of metal 3D printers and integrated solutions based on patented cold‑spray technology, SPEE3D’s products enable significantly faster, lower‑cost and more scalable production than other metal printing techniques.
SPEE3D offers the world’s fastest additive manufacturing technology, capable of manufacturing replacement metal parts on‑site in just minutes, or hours in any environment, whether it be in a lab, in the remote and harsh Australian outback, or out at sea.
Backing SPEE3D's global expansion
In September 2020, SPEE3D's Calum Stewart (Director of European Defence Programmes) commenced the campaign to sell into the UK military market.
Faced with the challenge of engaging with a complex market from the ground up, Calum connected with Global Victoria (through the Victorian Government's UK Trade and Investment office) for support.
Global Victoria's then Defence Trade and Investment Director, Tony Heath worked closely with Calum to broaden the company's networks, build brand awareness in the region, establish trust among the defence industry and MOD contacts and ultimately help "bring SPEE3D in front of all the major Defence Contractors".
In early 2021, SPEE3D were the recipients of a Global Gateway grant - a key investment by the Victorian Government and administered through Global Victoria to help Victorian exporters affected by the covid pandemic.
Between 2021 and 2022, Global Victoria connected SPEE3D to major European companies through DSEI and Eurosatory trade shows.
In 2022, SPEE3D won the Governor of Victoria Export Award for outstanding international success in manufacturing, engineering and/or advanced
materials development.
Contact us
Whether you're considering taking your advanced manufacturing innovation to the UK or looking for investment opportunities in Melbourne, we can help make your global business ambitions a reality.
To learn more about the services we provide, connect with our Trade Manager – Manufacturing and Defence Matthew Wood from Melbourne HQ. Alternatively, connect with our Trade and Investment Director - Defence and Aerospace, John Rees from our UK office.