June 18, 2024

Introducing Nickel Aluminium Bronze by SPEE3D

A Simpler, Safer Way to Produce Maritime Metals

SPEE3D’s new Nickel Aluminium Bronze (NAB) material marks an exciting turning point in the world of marine metal manufacturing.

Born out of a collaboration with experts in the field, this technology was developed as a solution to increasingly unreliable supply chains, extensive delays, and the rising costs associated with traditional casting methods.

During the developmental phase, NAB was rigorously tested to ensure its durability and quality, including Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP).

This new commercial release, however, requires no such HIP testing – making it not only innovative but more accessible and cost-effective.

Why Nickel Aluminium Bronze? Why now?

Renowned for its strength, antimicrobial and antifouling properties, and strong resistance to seawater corrosion, Nickel Aluminium Bronze is considered the gold standard in maritime applications.

Yet, working with NAB poses significant challenges for vendors operating in the additive manufacturing space. This is due to the alloy’s rich complexity and the standards required to ensure its performance in demanding marine environments.

By addressing these challenges head-on using our innovative Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing (CSAM) technology, SPEE3D has developed a process that is simple, cost-effective, and capable of printing cast-equivalent parts (or better) in a fraction of the time.

Produce marine metal parts in hours, not days

Consider the case of manufacturing NAB propeller struts, for example. Traditionally, this process is long and arduous, requiring weeks from casting to completion. The parts must be made and refined at a remote facility before being transported to the point of need.

With SPEE3D Nickel Aluminium Bronze, however, many of these challenges disappear. SPEE3D’s printer can produce a propeller weighing 11KG in just 3 hours, whenever and wherever it’s needed – cutting down production time and costs by a significant measure.

This ability to quickly produce metal parts on-demand ensures that supply chain disruptions do not compromise entire projects and operations can run on time, every time.

To learn more about SPEE3D Nickel Aluminium Bronze and the benefits it can bring to your business, access your free copy of the materials sheet here.