Supernova Launches Defense & Space Business Unit

Supernova is announcing Supernova Defense & Space, a business unit for 3D printing of energetic materials. Goal is to overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing processes and enhance the capabilities of produced components in critical applications like solid rocket motors (SRMs), which play a role in the development of hypersonic platforms, Supernova reports.

Supernova’s technology, Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM), is a lithography-based AM process that uses a transparent film to transfer high-viscosity materials onto a build platform, where they are cured by light to form 3D printed parts. VLM can handle materials with higher viscosity, that benefit from longer oligomer chains in the formulations, Supernova reports.

Energetic materials are compounds capable of rapidly releasing significant amounts of energy through chemical reactions, commonly used in propellants and explosives. Traditional processing techniques, ranging from casting to extrusion, impose geometric limitations, hindering the technological advancement of certain components, Supernova reports.

Supernova’s VLM has demonstrated the ability to process formulations with more than 88% solid load, to help create the next generation of military-grade components, the company reports. The main value propositions that the process offers are:

▪    High-energy density based on solid-load.
▪    Stable and homogeneous component properties: starting from a uniform particle dispersion, with isotropic layers.
▪    Geometric freedom in the component design.
▪    Rapid prototyping to accelerate development.
▪    On-demand and on-shore production.

The initial applications identified to benefit from these value propositions include SRMs, where the goal is to enhance combustion efficiency and develop custom thrust profiles; explosives, aiming to increase detonation performance in application-specific designs such as shaped charges; and bullet grains, with the objective of achieving higher velocity and reducing weight, according to Supernova.

“Supernova Defense & Space represents our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to manufacture,” says Roger Antunez, founder and CEO at Supernova “By pioneering 3D printing of energetic materials, we’re not just advancing technology—we’re providing the tools to the engineers to innovate and reshape the future of defense and space industries.”

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.