Byron Kennedy is the CEO of SPEE3D, an Australian firm that develops cold spray metal 3D printing. After a successful exit in powertrain components, he and his business partner Steven Camilleri were exploring 3D printing and new technologies. They found an existing 30-year-old technology, cold spray, and decided to make it additive. The result is a machine capable of producing 30 tonnes of metal parts a year at extremely low-cost points per part.
Byron talks us through the technology and applications. He speaks of opportunities in marine and defense with large, low-cost components that are out of bounds for most of the rest of our industry. The boys down under have really turned the cold spray process on its head, but have also upended the economics of 3D printing. Byron gives us a lot of engineering insight related to how the process was designed and how they’re finding applications for their technology. It was a real eye-opener for Max and me and really let us think much much bigger about additive than we did before.
Podcast (podcast-audio): Play in new window | Download