SPEE3D, a leading metal AM company, announced that its XSPEE3D system could successfully operate in a sub-zero environment and produce parts with comparable material properties to the same parts produced in a laboratory environment. SPEE3D was selected to participate in developing, demonstrating and testing their cold spray metal additive manufacturing (CSAM) equipment, along with partners from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) COMET Project and Philips Federal, as part of the Office of The Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology's Point of Need Challenge (PON).

The PON project was managed by LIFT, the Detroit-based Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and it concluded that the XPEE3D system is well-suited to support the DOD's goal of expanding expeditionary manufacturing capabilities in extreme cold weather environments for battle damage repair and large metal component production.

"The positive results of the Point of Need Challenge demonstrate that the XSPEE3D can print metal parts from anywhere — and in any weather conditions — with the same successful outcomes," says Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D. "Previously, we partnered with the Australian Army and showed that our technology can print parts in the extremely hot, rugged Australian bush. Now, we're proving that we can also successfully print parts in the coldest of environments, helping to support the DOD's goal of expanding manufacturing capabilities in austere environments."

The U.S. Army's Cold Region's Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) hosted the PON challenge in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 2023. The program showcased technologies that will keep service members combat-effective in extreme temperatures and exhibited systems that can be deployed in a cold weather environment. These systems close supply chain gaps and enable warfighters to manufacture and use critical equipment on demand in the harshest environments.