Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2024 - 21

Additive Manufacturing
SPEE3D has participated in over the last
year. In May 2023 for example, the company
was named one of six winners of
the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Manufacturing Technology's " Point of
Need Challenge. " The company was also
selected by the U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA), in partnership
with the Applied Research Laboratory
of Penn State University develop an
entirely new cold spray method to rapidly
manufacture existing parts for use in
submarine systems.
SPEE3D's machines have been tested
and qualified to print materials that
include aluminum 6061, aluminum
bronze, copper, nickel aluminum bronze
and stainless steel 316. A newer phaser
nozzle introduced by the company also
allows printing of copper nickel alloys,
titanium, chromium carbide-nickel,
tungsten carbide-nickel chrome and
stainless steel.
SPEE3D engineers are still expanding
the type of material its machines can
print. In a Sept. 23 blog posted to
SPEE3D's website, Chase Sheeley, an
Additive Manufacturing Research Engineer
at SPEE3D, describes his involvement
with the NAVSEA partnership to
3D print submarine parts. According to
Sheeley, NAVSEA has been working with
copper nickel alloy for almost 70 years,
because " it provides a perfect balance of
strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance
for vessels and equipment at sea. "
The Navy now wants to develop a
method for 3D printing copper nickel
castings.
In his blog, Sheeley further describes
how copper nickel castings have a high
fallout rate and long lead times because
they cannot be created in a foundry. He
writes that developing a method for creating
the alloy was " no easy task. "
" While the literature is clear about
how to print, heat treat, and cool commonly
additively manufactured materials
like stainless steel, it doesn't have
much to say about copper nickel, " Sheeley
writes. " To create a CSAM heat treatment
formula for it, we'd need to navigate
some uncharted territory. Our first
challenge was the feedstock itself. Unlike
other materials, copper nickel feedstock
is a blend of pure elements that gets
homogenized into a final alloy via the
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle's transmission mount (before and after) manufactured using SPEE3D technology
by a U.S. soldier with no prior additive manufacturing experience during the U.S. Army Combat
Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) demonstration at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.
(Image: SPEE3D)
heat treatment process. To find the right
combination of elements, we simply had
to experiment - and the success of each
experiment couldn't be determined
until each part had undergone heating
and cooling. This, naturally, took time. "
Sheeley goes on to confirm that the
company has developed a method for
printing copper nickel, and is now
focused on repeatability.
" There's much to be done to optimize
the process and deliver a material powAerospace
& Defense Technology, December 2024
mobilityengineeringtech.com
der that can safely and reliably replace a
traditionally manufactured part used in
a variety of critical applications, " Sheeley
writes. " While copper nickel has
been our primary focus, we are continuously
exploring new horizons in material
science to broaden our capabilities
and meet diverse industry needs. "
This article was written by Woodrow
Bellamy III, Senior Editor, SAE Media
Group (New York, NY).
21
A U.S. DoD soldier does a presentation in front of a WarpSPEE3D cold spray metal 3D printer during the
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) demonstration at the University of
Tennessee Knoxville. (Image: SPEE3D)

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2024

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