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Technology/Business Opportunity: Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning for Additive Manufacturing Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National ... Technology/Business Opportunity: Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning for Additive Manufacturing Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration partnership to further develop and commercialize its novel multimaterial powder bed patterning method for additive manufacturing. Background: Powder-based additive manufacturing processes have historically been limited to printing with a single material. In selective laser melting (SLM) or selective laser sintering (SLS), a layer of metal powder is spread across a build area and solidified into a desired pattern using a laser beam that is rastered over the powder surface. Binder jet printing involves spreading a powder layer and selectively applying a polymeric binder using an inkjet-like process. The printed part is subsequently post-treated by removing the binder and sintering the metal. Description: Livermore researchers have developed a multimaterial powder bed patterning which is a new additive manufacturing method using selective powder bed patterning. Granular flow of powder is induced by applying an excitation source such as a mechanical or sonic vibration force to a nozzle. The build plate or the nozzle are translated in space to obtain the desired pattern. The pattern is then set by jetting a polymeric binder and/or in situ sintering using intense pulsed light or microwave sintering, among other approaches. A three-dimensional object is produced by repeating this process layer-by-layer. The feature sizes of the objects can be controlled by the nozzle size, particle size, and amplitude and frequency of the applied vibration. This method provides a multimaterial patterning and printing capability, i.e. depositing multiple powders within a single layer to create 1D, 2D and 3D objects with structural and compositional control. Advantages: LLNL’s multimaterial powder bed patterning method uses granular flow to selectively deposit powder in areas of interest. The powder can be composed of from different material classes (e.g., metals, polymers, and ceramics, etc.) and may also be composed of mixtures of powders. LLNL’s multimaterial powder be patterning opens up the capability to print with multiple powders within a single layer, including support material that can eventually be removed. The patterned multimaterial powder layer can then be treated with a binder and post-processed. Alternatively, an in-situ sintering process can be incorporated into the setup, using intense pulsed light sintering or microwave sintering of each powder layer. This significantly reduces the time and equipment requirements necessary to produce a fully sintered three-dimensional metal object. Potential Applications General applications would be multi-material printing for additive manufacturing and powder-based processes. Specific applications include, but are not limited to, chemical reactors, printed electronics, components for aerospace and defense applications, transportation applications, tooling, fixtures, support materials, bridges, truss structures, functionally graded materials, applications that require combining disparate materials sets or material classes. Development Status: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0147874 Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning for Additive Manufacturing Method. Published 05/14/20 U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0168814 System and Method for Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning for Use in Additive Manufacturing. Published 06/02/22 LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning Method for Additive Manufacturing should provide a written statement of interest, which includes the following: Company Name and address. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. A description of corporate expertise and facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: TB516/22 Please provide your written statement within thirty (30) days from the date this announcement is published to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Multimaterial Powder Bed Patterning for Additive Manufacturing technology.