Darwin 3D metal part technology a world first

SPEE3D, the Darwin company that has invented a world-first commercial 3D metal printer in the Territory, is now a multimillion-dollar success story with its revolutionary technology selling to buyers in key markets in Germany, the US and Singapore.

SPEE3D, the Darwin company that has invented a world-first commercial 3D metal printer in the Territory, is now a multimillion-dollar success story with its revolutionary technology selling to buyers in key markets in Germany, the US and Singapore.

SPEE3D has developed and is selling internationally a metal 3D printer that is resulting in millions of dollars in sales.

The technology is unique in providing metal parts fast and at low costs.

The technology is suited to manufacturers looking for low to mid-volume aluminium and copper parts.

SPEE3D is primarily targeting the key manufacturing markets of Germany, the US and Asia as well as local sales.

Customers come from defence, rail, aerospace, research, automotive and general manufacturing.

An announcement is imminent of a major coup for the Darwin company in providing parts to Defence Australia. SPEE3D has made a pressure hose fitting for Defence that is needed on the Armidale Class patrol boats. The Darwin company 3D printed it, built it and tested it to make sure it complied with the military specs.

Defence has also tested it and it complies with their specs and it is now going into service on the patrol boats.

Co-founder Steve Camilleri said cracking the German market in particular was a coup.

“It is rare that German business needs to look anywhere overseas for new technology,” Steve said.

“Supersonic 3D deposition is a technology that the market has been calling out for – fast, low-cost, production-grade metal 3D printing. We are proud that it has been pioneered here in Darwin.”

SPEE3D has sold six of the metal 3D printers in Germany, the US and Singapore. “We are aiming to double our sales in Germany this year,” Steve said.

“We are just launching a new product. The product we launched last year makes metal parts up to about 300mm and our new product makes parts up to about a metre.

“That is designed for applications like defence, oil and gas and mining, which are critical areas of the Territory economy going forward.

“We are working with a lot of customers in those sectors here in the Territory.”

Steve said SPEE3D had been having great success at world trade shows where it has been showcasing its product.

“We have been making metal parts on the floor of the trade shows we are attending as people watch, which has never been possible before,” he said. “We have been getting record attendances at the shows in the US and Germany that we have attended.

“It changes the way people think about 3D printing when you can make a metal part right in front of them using our 3D printers and then hand it to them to walk away with.”

SPEE3D’s goal is simple – 3D print metals at production speeds and cost. SPEE3D has developed industrial, high-speed 3D metal printers that use a new 3D printing process, supersonic 3D deposition (SP3D) and proprietary algorithms. SPEE3D’s technology can manufacture metal parts without the use of inert gases thus greatly reducing cost. Combined with a high-speed printing process, which is 100 to 1000 times faster than traditional 3D printing, the technology is targeted at 3D printing for production.

Such has been SPEE3D’s success it received international recognition for its first metal printer. At the TCT Award show in Birmingham, LightSPEE3D was up against some of the world’s heavyweights as one of five finalists from around the globe in the running for the TCT Hardware Non-Polymer Systems Award.

The LightSPEE3D project was awarded first place with big Silicon Valley start-up Desktop Metal Production System receiving runners up.