High-temperature resin 3D printer for advanced materials
This technology is a modified 3D printing system (stereolithography) that can work with resins so thick they are essentially solid at room temperature — materials that normal resin printers simply cannot handle. The printer heats its entire working chamber to thin the resin just enough to spread it in precise layers, while keeping the light source outside the heated enclosure to avoid optical distortion. A blade system scrapes each fresh layer of viscous resin into position over the build area without needing solvents or thinning agents that would compromise final part quality. The result is printed parts made from high-performance resins — including polysaccharide-based or specialty polymer materials — that could not previously be formed this way.
What you could build
A specialized industrial 3D printer sold to advanced materials companies, aerospace and defense manufacturers, or research labs that need to produce complex geometries from high-performance thermoset resins currently limited to molding or machining. Secondary buyers would be academic and corporate R&D groups developing novel resin chemistries who need a prototyping platform.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia defense primes (Northrop Grumman, Leidos, General Dynamics IT) and university research parks with advanced manufacturing programs would be plausible early adopters 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
- Nicholas CHARTRAIN, Viswanath MEENAKSHISUNDARAM, Christopher B. WILLIAMS
- Granted
- April 29, 2025
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12285910
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.