AMT has been granted patents for chemical vapor smoothing. The new patents cover the company’s system used in the chemical vapor smoothing of thermoplastic polymer parts.
The process of vapor smoothing is not widely known. This method of finishing exposes a part to vaporized solvents for a few seconds that melt its outer layer to give it a smooth and glossy finish. Several polymer parts can benefit from AMT’s new device. There are for instance, parts produced from rigid, flexible, and composite subsets, such as polyamide, thermoplastic polyurethane, and glass filled derivatives as well as newly announced polypropylene.
Furthermore, it should be noted that thanks to this IP, operators can use several consumables to process their parts, which makes AMT a flexible solution ready to include new material offerings and regulatory requirements.
Those patents are the result of five years of intensive R&D at the University of Sheffield (UK), and a global commercialization of the company’s PostPro3D machines through its international network of partners. In a press communication, the UK specialist declares that it received UK patent GB2560073B on June 17th while complimentary German Utility Models 20 2017 007 255.6 and 20 2017 007 250.5 have been granted five days ago, on June 25th. Both patents provide retrospective IP protection to the 2017 filing date.
Speaking of this announcement, Joseph Crabtree, CEO of AMT stated: ‘AMT is fulfilling its goals one milestone at a time, with a clear vision for the future. A future where PostPro3D is a decided leader in fully automated, safe, and sustainable surface finishing systems for all materials and applications in the industry. Joseph goes on to say ‘It is great to see that after many years of hard work and development that we were able to secure these patents and be recognized for our inventions. AMT’s strategy is based around its strong IP position and this patent grant significantly reinforces it.’
While waiting for these patents to be granted by the European Patent Office and the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the specialist of automated post processing systems for the 3D Printing industry will continue to collaborate with customers and partners. Its ultimate goal? Bringing AM one step closer to an industry wide accepted manufacturing solution.
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