Ottawa, Ontario: Equispheres’ materials for additive manufacturing have been identified by the U.S. Army as a key enabler to fill critical manufacturing and sustainment capabilities for the Department of Defense.
The Ottawa-based developer of next-generation materials for additive manufacturing was one of 5 winners in the annual xTechInternational competition seeking advanced manufacturing and materials solutions. This global event recognizes innovations with immediate value for American industries.
“We are honored that DoD has recognized the capabilities of our materials technology for defense applications. Our unique production technology allows us to tailor materials properties to specific end-uses, making metal additive manufacturing faster, safer, and more accessible to the defense supply chain,” says Kevin Nicholds, CEO of Equispheres.
Equispheres was one of a handful of global suppliers chosen from a pool of over 130 candidates as having technology with the potential to significantly impact DoD’s near-term and future capabilities.
“U.S. Army collaboration with our international allies and partners is essential to developing state-of-the-art capabilities that benefit the U.S. Soldier,” said Jessica Stillman, the deputy program manager for the Army xTech Program. “The latest xTechInternational competition focused on advanced manufacturing and materials and had the largest award amount to-date for this series, leading to record participation. We see this trend continuing as we move forward to future international competitions.”
Evan Butler-Jones, Vice-President – Product & Strategy for Equispheres, says the recognition is
“an excellent opportunity to support the needs of the US DoD for advancing metal additive manufacturing, and important recognition of the role that materials technology can play in accelerating its adoption within North America.”
Read more about the competition and see the winners list here.
As a materials technology company, Equispheres is facilitating the adoption of additive manufacturing in the automotive, aerospace and defense sectors. In commercial applications, the company’s aluminum powders demonstrate a marked improvement in print speed and part quality, resulting in lower per-part costs. Equispheres’ new NExP-1 non-explosible aluminum feedstock reduces the hazards of day-to-day handling without sacrificing the quality of the printed part. This material is reducing the barriers to the industrialization of 3D printing.
With a core team of metallurgists and engineers actively engaged in R&D, Equispheres continues to develop processes and products to support the growth and expansion of metal additive manufacturing. “Safer, higher-performing materials will facilitate the adoption of metal 3D printing throughout the defense supply chain,” says Butler-Jones.
