TEDx Talk Now Available: Innovation in 3D Printing

Brandon Sweeney's TEDx talk at Texas Tech University — "Innovation in 3D Printing: Nanomaterials & Microwaves" — is now available to view online.

The talk covers the science behind using carbon nanotubes and microwave energy to fundamentally improve the mechanical properties of 3D-printed parts — a body of work that became the foundation for multiple patents, publications in Science Advances and Nano Letters, and the technology behind Essentium's FlashFuse process.

The talk is accessible to general audiences and walks through the core challenge of 3D printing (weak interlayer bonds), the scientific approach Sweeney and his collaborators developed to address it, and the path from research discovery to commercial product.

The public video link can be added here once the final URL is confirmed.

About the Research

The microwave and RF heating work described in the talk was conducted at Texas A&M University's Green Group under Dr. Micah Green, and resulted in several key outcomes:

• A 2017 Science Advances publication demonstrating microwave-induced welding of 3D-printed CNT-polymer composites
• A 2018 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces paper on RF heating of CNT composite materials
• A 2020 Nano Letters paper on dielectric barrier discharge for CNT-loaded interface heating
• US Patent 10,414,147 B2 and multiple PCT applications covering the core technology