Patent Issued: Electromagnetic Heating of CNT Composites for 3D Printing

US Patent 10,414,147 B2 has been issued to Brandon Sweeney and co-inventors, covering electromagnetic wave-induced localized heating of carbon nanotube-filled polymer composites for enhanced inter-bead diffusive bonding of fused filament fabrication (FFF) parts.

Patent Number: US 10,414,147 B2

Title: Electromagnetic wave-induced localized heating of CNT-filled polymer composites for enhanced inter-bead diffusive bonding of FFF parts

Issue Date: September 17, 2019

What the Patent Covers

The patent claims methods and systems for improving the interlayer mechanical performance of FFF-printed parts by incorporating carbon nanotubes into the filament feedstock and applying electromagnetic energy — microwave or radio frequency — to selectively heat the CNT-loaded polymer at the interlayer interface.

The selective heating drives localized polymer chain diffusion across the interface, improving interlayer bond strength without requiring elevated print chamber temperatures or post-print thermal annealing of the entire part.

Background

This patent emerged from research conducted at Texas A&M University's Green Group and was foundational to the technology behind Essentium's FlashFuse electromagnetic polymer-welding process. Related peer-reviewed research was published in Science Advances (2017) and ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2018).

This patent is part of a portfolio of 30+ patents covering electromagnetic processing of composite materials, advanced manufacturing systems, and related technologies.