Meteor Inkjet granted US patent for shell formation in 3D printing

Meteor Inkjet Ltd, a leading provider of electronics, software, tools and services for industrial inkjet printing, has been granted a U.S. patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “Methods and Systems for Shell Formation in 3D Printing” (United States Patent No. 11,625,902). Meteor is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hybrid Software Group PLC (Euronext: HYSG), a leading developer of industrial printing technology solutions.

Meteor’s patented ShellPro technology uses grayscale capabilities of inkjet printing to reduce energy and material requirements for creating complex 3D structures through binder jetting. Binder-jet 3D printing often uses multiple structural components with different material densities to increase strength. Meteor’s ShellPro simplifies the production of such shells through a novel technique that takes advantage of the ability of industrial grayscale inkjet printheads to produce multiple droplet sizes. ShellPro technology is included in Meteor’s Met3D software.

Ken Hillier, Meteor’s Director of North America and the patent’s primary inventor, explains, “This innovation offers the potential for additive manufacturing print systems to use as much as 50% less binder fluid, reduce the energy needed for curing and create 3D objects faster, all without sacrificing quality.”

Clive Ayling, Meteor’s Managing Director, adds, “Meteor continues to undertake basic research to find and develop ways to improve the functionality, cost, quality and reliability of the industrial inkjet printing process. We are delighted that this invention has been recognised with a US patent and are confident that our ongoing investment in technological innovation will directly benefit not only our OEM customers but also the industry.”

Find out more about Meteor Inkjet at meteorinkjet.com.