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Patent MarketPlace: Manufacturing

Lower-Cost Low-Density Polystyrene Foam (WRH Technology): International Patent Portfolio

Low-density polyester foam has become very popular for both synthetic lumber and packaging. When made into sheets or boards, it can be sawed, planed, drilled, and fastened with screws. It performs just like a wood, but it will not warp, mold, or rot. And it can be priced to be competitive with construction-grade wood products such as plywood, making it an excellent green construction alternative. When used as packaging, low-density polyester foam can be priced close to the cost of polystyrene and cheaper than other resins. However, low-density polyester is made from recycled plastic bottles, so it is greener than polystyrene and other petroleum-based packaging.

The appeal of low-density polyester foam would be greatly enhanced if the cost of manufacturing it could be significantly reduced, and that is what this portfolio does. It reduces the cost of low-density polyester foam that is made from post-consumer recycled bottle flake and virgin polyester resin. Bottle flake can make up to 100% of the polymer in this patented formulation and is the preferred raw material. Using this technology, the low intrinsic viscosity of the raw material is increased to 1.1 dl/g (deciliters per gram) or greater to create a polyester resin that can be foamed to a specific gravity of less than 0.65 g/cc (gram per cubic centimeter) with typical products having a specific gravity of 0.2 to 0.4 g/cc.

Patent Portfolio

This portfolio would enable any polyester manufacturer to dramatically lower manufacturing costs for the low-density polyester foam it produces and sells!

Removal of Oil from Waste Water (Hylla): Two U.S. Patents

We’ve been drinking and washing ourselves in the same recycled water for hundreds of years. Waste water goes down our drains and into the municipal sewer system along with rain and melted snow. The water is treated by the local water authority and retuned to us to drink and to wash ourselves, our dishes, our floors, our pets, and our cars. Getting solids out of the water is done via filtration, and bacteria and other contaminants are treated chemically.

Industrial facilities such as refineries and chemical plants face the challenge of removing oil from their waste water before it goes into the public waste stream and ends up as drinking water. Filtration will not remove oil from the waste water stream; a more sophisticated technology is needed. This patent family addresses that challenge be creating a combination mechanical and chemical process that uses agitation of the water, oil, and solids mix as well as treatment of the mix with a diluent, a solvent additive, and a detergent salt so the oil can be efficiently and effectively removed from the waste water.

U.S. Patent No. 8,999,148 for “Systems and methods for waste oil recovery” and U.S. Patent No. 9,815,711 for a “Systems for waste oil recovery” will enable a manufacturer of waste water treatment equipment to provide refineries, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities with an efficient system for removing oil from their waste water streams.

Next-Generation 3D Printing (Temirbulatov): U.S. and Chinese Patents

3D printing has been around since 1984 and has grown to a $12 billion global industry! 3D printing (also known as “stereolithography”) is the process of creating a 3D (height, width, and depth) object layer by layer. A head passes back and forth (like the head on a printer), laying down coating after coating of material to create the object. The process is, of course, slow, but it is ideal for creating a one-off sample or prototype. And while the technology is cutting edge, it has limitations. With just a few exceptions, 3D printers are limited to using plastic to create objects – most commonly Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (or “ABS”) and Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (or “PETG”) – and that limits the strength, durability, and applications of 3D-printed objects.

This family of patents takes 3D printing to a new level of productivity by creating a modified extrusion pattern for the working material. A rotary piston extruder for a 3D printer head preheats polymers to a liquid form for extrusion of the working material. This enables printing at higher temperatures, and that increases adhesion, ensuring more accurate and precise extrusion of the material resulting in higher productivity and the ability to work with various polymers. The working material can be fed into the printer as either a thread or as granules.

During the operation of the extruder, the molten working material is sucked into the upper portion while it is extruded out from the lower part, providing a continuous supply of material to the construction surface. Since the working chamber is sealed, the extruder is able to work with various materials from liquid to paste such as ceramic, silicone, rubber, and two-component resins, as well as various melted metals. This patented rotary extruder significantly reduces both the cost of printing and the cost of equipment ownership.

U.S. Patent No. 11,285,666 and Chinese Patent 213055924 for a “Rotary piston extruder head for 3D printer” would be a strategic acquisition for any 3D printer manufacturer, and would enable the company to dramatically expand the materials that its 3D printers can use to create objects, dramatically expanding their applications and market appeal.

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