Here at 3D Rapid Print, one of the fastest growing 3D Printing companies in the Thames Valley, we like to keep abreast of the latest innovations in 3D printing.
On November 1st 2021, metal 3D printing specialists SPEE3D of Melbourne, Australia announced that the Australian Army had replaced more than a dozen different parts for the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier in the field during Exercise Koolendong. (Exercise Koolendong is an annual bilateral military exercise between the Australian Army and the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin.) The replacement parts were all manufactured on-site using a WarpSPEE3D metal 3D printer, which SPEE3D contends can 3D print large metal parts weighing up to 40kg at a record rate of 100g per minute. This experiment followed multiple similar experiments between June and September 2020.
In June 2020, a WarpSPEE3D was trialled during a field training exercise in Mount Bundey, 120km (75 miles) south east of Darwin for a 3-day-long experiment. There, it was moved between various locations and unloaded onto different terrains, with SPEE3D claiming that it was ready to print within half an hour of arriving at each test location. Over the next 2 months, it received several upgrades and modifications, before being trialled again in August and September. Here, it was deployed across various field locations in temperatures of up to 37°C and 80% humidity, whilst printing and machining various military metal parts.
Proclaimed by SPEE3D as “the longest and toughest yet,” the most recent trial took place at the Bradshaw Field Training Area, entailing taking a WarpSPEE3D on a 1,200km round trip over rough terrain to work in hot and dusty conditions for 3 weeks. One of the replacement parts was a 2kg M113 wheel bearing cover, which is often damaged by trees when the vehicle is driven through bushland; it was printed in 29 minutes at a cost of $100.
SPEED3D argued that the 2020 field trials had resulted in over 50 case studies of 3D printable parts and demonstrated the WarpSPEE3D’s ability to work in the remote Australian bushland. For further work, the Australian Army intends to further investigate what 3D printed parts can be repaired using metal 3D printing, having parts at the ready in the field.
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Disclaimer: Featured image of “Armored cavalry assault vehicle” is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.
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