The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), at the center of the United States Department of Energy, recently announced that they have entered a formal non-exclusive licensing agreement with Ohio 3D printer technology company, Stragpresse, for a selection of ORNL patents related to large-scale additive manufacturing.
The licensing agreement between Strangpresse and ORNL is most likely a result of Stragpresse`s new extruder innovation. A recent collaboration between Strangpresse and fellow Ohio company Md Plastics has resulted in the development of a vertical, robot-arm mounted extrusion head capable of the highly controlled deposition of around 100 lbs of 3D printing material per hour. The special extruder would work closely with advanced screw, barrel, and check-valve technology, adapted by Md Plastics from injection molding technology. The check valve works to prevent drool and stringing when the deposition arm stops and is expected to be integrated into a complete Big Area Additive Manufacturing, or “BAAM” system using a six-axis robot.
Under the ORNL agreement Strangpresse and their parent company Hapco Inc. are authorized to develop products using the ORNL patented technology that will enable them to use 3D printing technology to manufacture parts and objects larger than current standards.