SPEE3D has announced that it has won the “Point of Need Challenge” sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing Technology (OSD ManTech) for solutions to support forward-deployed forces in harsh environments.
According to SPEE3D, the program will invest approximately $2.5 million, with industry partners contributing an additional $700,000.
SPEE3D will participate in a live demonstration at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) at the US Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The team will demonstrate its Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) technology and the ability to 3D print metal parts in sub-freezing environments with the same quality as parts printed in a lab or shop environment using the same technology.
Over sixty organizations were accepted for the program, with eleven making it to the final round. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute hosted 11 finalists for live presentations. The event featured technologies from the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) of the Department of Defense.
The investment will exceed 2 million US dollars.
A council of thirteen evaluators from the Military Services, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Innovation Unit, OSD ManTech, and Joint Staff evaluated the invited finalists.
Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D, stated, “Given our track record of working with the military in extremely sweltering and arid environments, we are excited to demonstrate our expeditionary manufacturing and repair capabilities in sub-freezing conditions.
We are honored to collaborate with the OSD to demonstrate our Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing technology, which is protected by a patent.
From the five MIIs, six initiatives were selected for approval. This included the Warfighter Medical, Health, and Nutrition Challenge, the Staying in the Fight Challenge, and the Cyber Challenge.
SPEE3D also participated in the Staying in the Fight Challenge and contracted LIFT as its MII. LIFT is a registered DoD MII overseen by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and headquartered in Detroit.
