Inverted heated-chamber 3D printer for PEEK-class
This patent covers a 3D printer designed to work at very high temperatures — above 200°C throughout the entire build chamber — by flipping the traditional printer orientation upside down. Instead of building on a flat bed at the bottom, the print bed sits at the top and the print nozzle shoots material upward onto it. This inverted, insulated chamber traps heat far more effectively than conventional designs, enabling the printer to process high-performance engineering plastics (like PEEK, PEI, or PEKK) that require sustained elevated temperatures to print without warping or delaminating. The approach solves a fundamental thermal management problem that has kept high-performance polymer printing expensive and unreliable.
What you could build
A commercial high-temperature desktop or benchtop 3D printer targeting aerospace, defense, and medical device manufacturers who need functional parts in PEEK-class materials without outsourcing to industrial-scale equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and government contractors in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor — particularly those needing rapid prototyping of high-performance polymer components — would be natural customers or licensing partners.
Readiness: Prototype likely
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
- Callie ZAWASKI, Christopher WILLIAMS
- Granted
- December 27, 2022
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 11534970
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.