Emulsion ink platform for microstructured composite 3D
This technology is a 3D printing method that uses specially formulated 'emulsion inks' — liquids containing tiny droplets of one material suspended inside another — to print composite objects with precisely engineered internal structures. By controlling the speed and height of the print nozzle during extrusion, manufacturers can tune the shape, size, and connectivity of microscale features embedded inside the finished part. The result is a solid polymer object whose internal architecture can be programmed layer by layer, enabling properties like controlled porosity, stiffness gradients, or embedded functional inclusions that conventional 3D printing cannot easily achieve.
What you could build
A specialized 3D printing system and ink formulation platform for producing functional composite parts — such as soft actuators, structured acoustic materials, or biomedical scaffolds — sold to advanced materials R&D labs, defense contractors, and specialty manufacturing firms.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and materials research firms in the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads corridors, along with university-affiliated advanced manufacturing centers, would have interest in this platform for producing structured composites.
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
- Eric MARKVICKA, Aaron HAAKE, Michael D. BARTLETT, Ravi Tej Anand TUTIKA, Gwyneth SCHLOER
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed December 22, 2023
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240287329A1
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.