Photocurable colloidal resin for 3D printing high-MW polymers
This technology enables 3D printing of high-molecular-weight polymers that are normally too thick and viscous to process through standard resin-based printers. The trick is packaging these polymers as tiny suspended particles in water, keeping the liquid thin enough to print while locking the particles inside a light-cured scaffold. After printing, a simple heat-drying step causes the particles to melt together, producing a dense, tough material that behaves like the high-molecular-weight polymer it contains. The approach also works with ceramics, silica, and metal particles mixed in, opening the door to hybrid materials with precisely tuned mechanical properties.
What you could build
A specialty resin product line sold to industrial additive manufacturing shops and materials companies seeking to print tough, high-performance polymer or polymer-ceramic hybrid parts without expensive solvent-based or melt-extrusion equipment. Target buyers include aerospace component fabricators, medical device manufacturers, and advanced materials R&D labs.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense and aerospace suppliers in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor, plus polymer and materials companies near Virginia Tech's manufacturing research ecosystem, would have direct interest.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Timothy E. LONG, Viswanath MEENAKSHISUNDARAM, Philip J. SCOTT, Christopher B. WILLIAMS
- Granted
- September 6, 2022
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11433601
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.