Northern Territory entrepreneurs Steve Camilleri and Byron Kennedy have dialled up their obsession with speed with a state-of-the-art 3D printer.
Their start-up company Spee3d has developed a 3D printer that promises to revolutionise the manufacturing industry - not just in Australia but throughout the world.
Lightspee3d is up to 1,000 times faster than conventional 3D printers.
The 3m x 1.5m printer is being manufactured at a small production plant in Victoria.
Lightspee3d, which is capable of printing complex metal objects by firing metal powder at supersonic speeds, will be sold to a range of industries.
“The printers can be used to manufacture a vast range of products, such as car and machinery parts,” said Steve.
“They can do the job faster, cheaper and more efficiently than any other 3D printer in the world. And they are easy to use.
“We have developed the printer to revolutionise manufacturing - exactly how it is used will be up to researchers and customers. The applications are almost limitless.”
Fellow entrepreneur Byron said speed is where their technology excels. "We are targeting a completely new space - the manufacturers of standard run-of-the-mill products, where speed is essential.”
At the moment, 3D printers are used mainly to make prototypes of parts, rather than the parts themselves - and a normal industrial part can take eight days to make and cost up to $5,000 each.
Lightspee3d can cut the manufacturing time to 20 minutes and the cost to $30.
The two Territorians established Spee3d in 2014 to get their super-fast printer to market as soon as possible.
