SPEE3D announced the launch of its Expeditionary Manufacturing Unit (EMU) during the European Defence Agency’s Additive Manufacturing Village (AM Village) event in Belgium.
The EMU combines SPEE3D’s expeditionary metal 3D printer, XSPEE3D, with its SPEE3Dcell post-processing and testing unit in two 20-foot shipping containers, which together can produce cast-equivalent metal parts quickly, close to the point of need.
The system includes two 20-foot containers with twist locks, a ruggedized, mobile metal 3D printer that can produce high-density metal parts in a wide range of materials, and a fully-equipped post-processing shop – including a heat treatment furnace, CNC three-axis mill, tooling, and testing equipment. As a truly expeditionary product, EMU can be transported on a single platform such as a truck, plane or train.
During AM Village SPEE3D will demonstrate the EMU alongside the British Army to militaries from over 25 EU and NATO countries.
“Through its continual programme of modernisation, the British Army embraces new innovative manufacturing solutions to keep it at the forefront of emerging technology and at a tactical advantage over its potential adversaries,” said a UK Army spokesperson. “Our collaboration with SPEE3D has produced the world’s first fully field deployable 3D cold metal printing capability, heralding a step change in deployable engineering capabilities for our forces deployed overseas.”