Metal Tech News - The Elements of Innovation Discovered

SPEE3D's cold spray metal 3D printers can easily be considered one of the fastest printers in the world, deploying full-density, solid metal parts in minutes. Now, with the release of its Phaser nozzle, there is no competition when it comes to rapid printing of harder metals.

Using a principle similar to creating a water jet stream that can slice through diamond, SPEE3D printers spray out powder through a nozzle and the immense pressure and friction forms the final product.

Due to the speed and quality of SPEE3D's 3D printer WarpSPEE3D, the militaries of two nations, the United States and Australia, have taken great interest in the potential for active conflict on-site parts replacement as well as the benefit of replacing components in practically any remote location.

Rigorously tested in the remote bushlands of Australia, WarpSPEE3D has proven its capabilities with a three-week trip of more than 764 miles (1,200 kilometers) over rough terrain to operate in hot and dusty conditions.

Owing to its rugged build and ease of use, as well as its quick print times, it wasn't long before the United States awarded the Australia-based 3D printing company with U.S. Defense Strategies Institute's Award for Expeditionary & Tactical 3D Printing Excellence.

Quickly recognizing the potential of mobile, rapid parts replacement, the U.S. Navy sought a collaboration, inviting SPEE3D to partake in its Maintenance Technology Engagement Exercise or MAINTENX to manufacture deployable metal 3D printing technology at both port and sea.

For the program, the company is utilizing WarpSPEE3D, the world's first large-format metal 3D printer – that can even print large parts or even multiple parts at once – to demonstrate onboard the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship in Port Hueneme, California.

SPEE3D

A magnification of 40 microns of titanium sprayed using SPEE3D's newest Phaser nozzle. Even at this magnification, the quality is evident of the structural integrity, something not often seen from metal 3D printers.

Previous iterations of SPEE3D's nozzle technology were only capable of printing copper, aluminum, and aluminum bronze, yet with the latest Phaser nozzle, the metal 3D printer is capable of printing sturdier metals such as stainless steel, titanium, high-strength aluminum, and nickel-based carbides.

The ultra-high-energy nozzle has been designed to work with a wider range of hard phase materials. The high particle velocity achieved with the Phaser nozzle means more deformation of the particles during the deposition process, which allows harder, tougher materials to be worked with.

As with the nozzle's predecessors, Phaser does not rely on nitrogen or helium to cold spray these materials – although the use of nitrogen is still an available option – using just compressed air, the Phaser nozzle can effectively deposit material four times faster than the speed of sound!

Furthermore, it can be done so at much hotter temperatures, up to 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit).

With Phaser being introduced to WarpSPEE3D printers, what was already blazing fast has become a force to be reckoned with.