TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Process for In-Situ Electric Field Assisted Sintering Quality Control

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY
 Process for In-Situ Electric Field Assisted Sintering Quality Control
Enables precision and efficiency in manufacturing and delivers unprecedented quality control, boosting the development of advanced materials.
 

Opportunity:   Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to explore a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this non-destructive in-situ material characterization for Electric Field Assisted Sintering processes.. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.
Overview:        Electric Field Assisted Sintering (EFAS) has transformed the consolidation of powder materials with its high heating rate and energy efficiency. However, this rapid heating process can lead to local density variations within the sintered materials, posing challenges for manufacturing environments where real-time feedback is essential. Additionally, these local microstructural variations, which can be introduced by the high heating rates, can adversely impact the product's mechanical, thermal, optical, and electrical properties. This solution addresses these issues by offering a non-destructive method for measuring localized porosity changes in EFAS materials, providing a valuable tool for enhancing the quality control and overall efficiency of the EFAS process.
Description:    Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed an approach that employs photothermal radiometry to measure the local thermal diffusivity of EFAS sintered materials. The thermal diffusivity directly correlates to localized percent porosities. This technology offers a non-destructive method to gauge local density changes in EFAS products, a critical step in both research and industry applications. This technique simplifies the measurement approach, providing accurate, non-destructive local density readings where traditional methods fall short.
Benefits:          
•    Non-destructive characterization methodology for localized density variation.
•    Simple and efficient system, easily integrated into existing EFAS processes.
•    Ability to distinguish between desired and undesired local density variations.
•    Significant contribution to improving EFAS quality control and accelerating product development.
Applications:    
•    Quality control and consistency in EFAS-based manufacturing
•    Development and refinement of advanced materials part production
•    Research in the fields of materials science and manufacturing technology
IP Status:        Provisional Patent No. 63/497,522, “Non-Destructive Testing Systems and Associated Components and Methods,” BEA Docket No. BA-1486.  
Development Status: Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5: This technology has undergone laboratory/bench scale testing and system validation in a relevant environment.
INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.
Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. 
Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.