US firm to 3D print super military material to boost rocket motors, explosive power
The contract has been awarded under ACMI’s Critical Chemicals Pilot Program through the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center’s (DOD IAC) multiple-award contract (MAC) vehicle
Supernova Industries has been given a contract by the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) to 3D print military-grade energetic materials.
The contract has been awarded under ACMI’s Critical Chemicals Pilot Program through the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center’s (DOD IAC) multiple-award contract (MAC) vehicle to support the United States DOD Industrial Base Policy Manufacturing Capability Expansions and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) Pathfinders portfolio.
The company’s proprietary technology, Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM), is a lithography-based Additive Manufacturing (AM) process. The process uses a transparent film to transfer high-viscosity materials onto a build platform, where they are cured by light to form printed parts.
The company currently deals with two types of energetic materials – ammonium perchlorate composite propellant (APCP), which is a high-performance solid rocket motor, and Cyclonite (Cyclotrumetrylene trunitramine) or RDX, which is a high-grade explosive. It is also working to develop new types of energetic materials.