Photocurable colloidal resins for high-performance 3D printing
This technology enables high-quality 3D printing of materials made from large, complex polymers that were previously too thick and viscous to work with standard resin-based printers. The trick is packaging the polymers inside tiny droplets suspended in water, which keeps the printing resin thin and workable regardless of the polymer's size. After printing, a simple heating step causes those droplets to merge and interlock, producing a final part with the full mechanical strength of the high-molecular-weight material. The same system can incorporate ceramics, silica, or metal particles to create hybrid materials with customizable properties. The result is a platform that unlocks an entirely new class of printable materials for resin-based additive manufacturing.
What you could build
A line of specialty photocurable resin formulations—sold to advanced manufacturers, materials companies, and industrial 3D printing service bureaus—that enable printing of tough, high-performance polymer and hybrid ceramic/polymer parts currently impossible with off-the-shelf resins.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense contractors and aerospace suppliers in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor that use additive manufacturing for structural or functional parts would be plausible customers or development partners.
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
- February 11, 2025
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12220860
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.