At UNH's John Olson Center, you'll find more than faculty and students in the high bay; industry partnerships are at the heart of what we do. One such partner, Spee3d, houses one of their large metal 3D printers, WarpSPEE3D, here at the facility.
Don't be fooled by the word 3D printer; the WarpSPEE3D weighs 8,400 lbs. and has a footprint of 13'x7'x9'.
Pictured are Spee3d's Technology Product Manager, Matthew Harbidge, and Research Engineer, Zalman Lipschitz. Also featured is the disk of a 3-piece wheel. At first glance, this appears to be a standard wheel, but the innovation lies in its manufacturing process. This disk was 3D printer with 8 kilograms of aluminum through cold-spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) technology.
To create a part like the one pictured, traditional cutting equipment, such as the center's own CNC machines, would use a block of aluminum weighing approximately 31 kilograms (68 lbs.) to shape and cut the piece. Machined parts can take days or weeks, while Spee3d can reduce the process to days or hours.
The WarpSPEE3D builds parts by bonding metal powder at supersonic speeds using kinetic energy. It uses cold spray rather than melting metal, which can cause thermal stress, warping, and cracking. Cold spray can produce dense, rugged parts ideal for mechanical strength.
Spee3d has a line of metal printers in various sizes. All their printers are production-ready, and the XPEE3D is field-deployable, these metal 3D printers use significantly less material (over three times less), at a lower cost, and can customize parts to meet a manufacturer's specific designs and needs.
The WarpSPEE3D = efficient, customizable, and eco-friendly
This is what innovation looks like at UNH in 2025!
Written by Katie Ahearn | Photo credit: Katie Ahearn
