Patents by Inventor James Lewicki

James Lewicki has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240383798
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a feedstock for performing additive manufacturing through a heated extrusion print nozzle heated to a working printing temperature. The feedstock may have a glass matrix meltable at the working printing temperature and a reinforcing fiber component. The fiber reinforcing component is disposed within the glass matrix, and selected to be at least one of thermally stable or thermally oxidatively stable at the working printing temperature being used to melt the glass matrix.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2023
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Inventors: James LEWICKI, Maxwell Glen TSURUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20240278507
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an additive manufacturing (AM) system for making a part. The system may have a build plate on which to form the part, and a print nozzle component configured to be supported above the build plate. The print nozzle may have a first and second axially extending passageways. The first axially extending passageway enables a first resin-infused feedstock material supplied from a first source of resin-infused feedstock material to be extruded onto the build plate. The second axially extending passageway enables a second resin-infused feedstock material supplied from a second source of resin-infused feedstock material to be extruded onto the build plate concurrently with, or alternately with, extrusion of the first resin-infused feedstock material, to form the part. The first and second resin-infused print feedstock materials differ in composition from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: James LEWICKI, Nicholas Hanson LOEY
  • Publication number: 20240279467
    Abstract: A composition of a resin for room temperature vulcanizable rubber includes a polysiloxane with vinyl and/or silanol reactive functionality of at least 2, a crosslinker reactive toward vinyl and/or silanol functionality, polymer microballoons, and a thixotropic additive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventor: James Lewicki
  • Publication number: 20240278499
    Abstract: Systems for manufacturing a Stage 1 carbon-carbon (CC) part, including a resin infused with at least one of chopped fibers, milled fibers, or a continuous fiber. The resin further may include at least one UV initiator to render the resin UV gellable upon exposure to UV light. An additive manufacturing (AM) system determines and provides tool paths needed to provide an engineered characteristic to the Stage 1 CC part. A print nozzle component of the AM system extrudes the resin in accordance with the tool paths onto a sacrificial support material layer, such that the fiber(s) are deposited in desired orientations, within each layer, in a layer-by-layer printing operation. A UV light illuminates the resin after extrusion to initiate gelation of the resin as the resin is extruded onto the sacrificial material layer, to thus form a precursor part having an imparted or enhanced performance characteristic. A pyrolysis subsystem may be used for pyrolyzing the precursor part to create the Stage 1 CC part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventor: James LEWICKI
  • Publication number: 20240262765
    Abstract: A product includes a three-dimensional scaffold structure having an open cell geometry with interconnected channels for allowing continuous communication throughout a volume of the scaffold structure. The scaffold structure is configured to enhance mechanical strength of an energetic material. A fuel material is present in the scaffold structure and/or a second material is coupled to the scaffold structure. The fuel material is configured to increase an output of energy release relative to an output of energy release from the scaffold structure having the fuel material not present.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Michael J. King, Nicholas Hanson Loey
  • Patent number: 11945151
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an additive manufacturing print head and a nozzle that receives a bio-based shape memory polymer material and a bio-based material. The nozzle extrudes the bio-based shape memory polymer material and the bio-based material onto a substrate to form a bio-based shape memory polymer part or product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer Nicole Rodriguez, Eric B. Duoss, James Lewicki, Christopher Spadaccini, Thomas S. Wilson, Cheng Zhu
  • Publication number: 20220402194
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an additive manufacturing print head and a nozzle that receives a bio-based shape memory polymer material and a bio-based material. The nozzle extrudes the bio-based shape memory polymer material and the bio-based material onto a substrate to form a bio-based shape memory polymer part or product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Jennifer Nicole Rodriguez, Eric B. Duoss, James Lewicki, Christopher Spadaccini, Thomas S. Wilson, Cheng Zhu
  • Patent number: 11084223
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system for optimizing an additive manufacturing (AM) process. The system may use a printing component for using a material to form a component in a layer-by-layer process. An electronic controller may control movement of one of the printing component or a substrate on which the component is being formed, in a manner to optimize a toolpath for the printing component as each layer of the component is formed. Optimization operations are performed using an optimization subsystem which enables manufacturability constraints, as well as optimized toolpaths for each layer of the component, to be defined using contours of a level-set function. The level-set function may be used to define the optimized toolpaths within a fixed, predetermined grid, and the optimized toolpaths then used to generate suitable code for controlling movement of the printing component relative to the substrate to create the part or structure in a layer-by-layer process, using the optimized toolpaths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignees: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: James Lewicki, William Compel, Daniel Tortorelli, Felipe Fernandez-Ayala
  • Patent number: 10994472
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing resin system includes a container; a build platform in the container; a build platform drive; an additive manufacturing resin that forms an additive manufacturing resin bath; an additive manufacturing print head; a build material supply connected to the additive manufacturing print head; an infill resin in the container, wherein the infill resin is supported by the additive manufacturing resin bath; a computer controller; and an extruded material that forms the product, wherein the infill resin at least partially surrounds the extruded material that forms the product. An infill resin supply provides the infill resin into the container and a control valve is connected to the infill resin supply. An IR light sensor is connected to the control valve and operatively connected to the infill resin in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventor: James Lewicki
  • Publication number: 20200332026
    Abstract: In one inventive concept, a product for modifying a cellulose-lignin material with siloxane includes a mixture having a siloxane species, a metal catalyst, and a nonpolar solvent. The mixture is operative to modify a cellulose-lignin material with siloxane upon wetting of the cellulose-lignin material with the mixture and subsequent drying of the cellulose-lignin material. In another inventive concept, a product includes a siloxane-modified cellulose-lignin material having a cellulose-lignin network and a network of siloxane in cross-linking bridges in the cellulose-lignin network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventor: James Lewicki
  • Publication number: 20200055252
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system for optimizing an additive manufacturing (AM) process. The system may use a printing component for using a material to form a component in a layer-by-layer process. An electronic controller may control movement of one of the printing component or a substrate on which the component is being formed, in a manner to optimize a toolpath for the printing component as each layer of the component is formed. Optimization operations are performed using an optimization subsystem which enables manufacturability constraints, as well as optimized toolpaths for each layer of the component, to be defined using contours of a level-set function. The level-set function may be used to define the optimized toolpaths within a fixed, predetermined grid, and the optimized toolpaths then used to generate suitable code for controlling movement of the printing component relative to the substrate to create the part or structure in a layer-by-layer process, using the optimized toolpaths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: James LEWICKI, William COMPEL, Daniel TORTORELLI, Felipe FERNANDEZ-AYALA
  • Patent number: 10276286
    Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for sensing temperature-dependent electrical switching response, comprising: exposing a polymer-carbon composite to a temperature change, wherein the polymer-carbon composite comprises (a) a semi-conductive or conductive carbon network intercalated with (b) a polymer matrix, wherein the carbon network comprises at least one covalently bonded carbon material, and wherein the polymer matrix comprises at least one polymer having a net electron withdrawing character and adapted to apply a gating effect on the conductive carbon; and detecting a change in electrical conductivity of the polymer-carbon composite of at least three orders of magnitude. Also disclosed is a smart switching device comprising the polymer-carbon composite and a switch triggerable by an increase or decrease in electrical conductivity of the polymer-carbon composite of at least three orders or magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Marcus A. Worsley
  • Patent number: 10138330
    Abstract: Described herein is a highly effective route towards the controlled and isotropic reduction in size-scale, of complex 3D structures using silicone network polymer chemistry. In particular, a class of silicone structures were developed that once patterned and cured can ‘shrink’ micron scale additive manufactured and lithographically patterned structures by as much as 1 order of magnitude while preserving the dimensions and integrity of these parts. This class of silicone materials is compatible with existing additive manufacture and soft lithographic fabrication processes and will allow access to a hitherto unobtainable dimensionality of fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Marcus A. Worsley
  • Publication number: 20180272599
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an additive manufacturing print head and a nozzle that receives a bio-based shape memory polymer material and a bio-based material. The nozzle extrudes the bio-based shape memory polymer material and the bio-based material onto a substrate to form a bio-based shape memory polymer part or product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Jennifer Nicole Rodriguez, Eric B. Duoss, James Lewicki, Christopher Spadaccini, Thomas S. Wilson, Cheng Zhu
  • Publication number: 20180243988
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing resin system includes a container; a build platform in the container; a build platform drive; an additive manufacturing resin that forms an additive manufacturing resin bath; an additive manufacturing print head; a build material supply connected to the additive manufacturing print head; an infill resin in the container, wherein the infill resin is supported by the additive manufacturing resin bath; a computer controller; and an extruded material that forms the product, wherein the infill resin at least partially surrounds the extruded material that forms the product. An infill resin supply provides the infill resin into the container and a control valve is connected to the infill resin supply. An IR light sensor is connected to the control valve and operatively connected to the infill resin in the container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventor: James Lewicki
  • Patent number: 9944016
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing resin system including an additive manufacturing print head; a continuous carbon fiber or short carbon fibers operatively connected to the additive manufacturing print head; and a tailored resin operatively connected to the print head, wherein the tailored resin has a resin mass and wherein the tailored resin includes an epoxy component, a filler component, a catalyst component, and a chain extender component; wherein the epoxy component is 70-95% of the resin mass, wherein the filler component is 1-20% of the resin mass, wherein the catalyst component is 0.1-10% of the resin mass, and wherein the chain extender component is 0-50% of the resin mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventor: James Lewicki
  • Patent number: 9862140
    Abstract: Additive manufacturing of a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) product using an additive manufacturing print head; a reservoir in the additive manufacturing print head; short carbon fibers in the reservoir, wherein the short carbon fibers are randomly aligned in the reservoir; an acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cyanate ester or isocyanate resin in the reservoir, wherein the short carbon fibers are dispersed in the acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cyanate ester or isocyanate resin; a tapered nozzle in the additive manufacturing print head operatively connected to the reservoir, the tapered nozzle produces an extruded material that forms the fiber-reinforced polymer product; baffles in the tapered nozzle that receive the acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cyanate ester or isocyanate resin with the short carbon fibers dispersed in the acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cyanate ester or isocyanate resin; and a system for driving the acrylate, methacrylate, epoxy, cyanate ester or isocyanate resin with the short carbon fibers di
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Eric B. Duoss, Jennifer Nicole Rodriguez, Marcus A. Worsley, Michael J. King
  • Publication number: 20170261456
    Abstract: Disclosed here is a method for sensing temperature-dependent electrical switching response, comprising: exposing a polymer-carbon composite to a temperature change, wherein the polymer-carbon composite comprises (a) a semi-conductive or conductive carbon network intercalated with (b) a polymer matrix, wherein the carbon network comprises at least one covalently bonded carbon material, and wherein the polymer matrix comprises at least one polymer having a net electron withdrawing character and adapted to apply a gating effect on the conductive carbon; and detecting a change in electrical conductivity of the polymer-carbon composite of at least three orders of magnitude. Also disclosed is a smart switching device comprising the polymer-carbon composite and a switch triggerable by an increase or decrease in electrical conductivity of the polymer-carbon composite of at least three orders or magnitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Marcus A. Worsley
  • Publication number: 20170235222
    Abstract: Described herein is a highly effective route towards the controlled and isotropic reduction in size-scale, of complex 3D structures using silicone network polymer chemistry. In particular, a class of silicone structures were developed that once patterned and cured can ‘shrink’ micron scale additive manufactured and lithographically patterned structures by as much as 1 order of magnitude while preserving the dimensions and integrity of these parts. This class of silicone materials is compatible with existing additive manufacture and soft lithographic fabrication processes and will allow access to a hitherto unobtainable dimensionality of fabrication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Marcus A. Worsley
  • Patent number: 9708451
    Abstract: Described herein is a highly effective route towards the controlled and isotropic reduction in size-scale, of complex 3D structures using silicone network polymer chemistry. In particular, a class of silicone structures were developed that once patterned and cured can ‘shrink’ micron scale additive manufactured and lithographically patterned structures by as much as 1 order of magnitude while preserving the dimensions and integrity of these parts. This class of silicone materials is compatible with existing additive manufacture and soft lithographic fabrication processes and will allow access to a hitherto unobtainable dimensionality of fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
    Inventors: James Lewicki, Marcus A. Worsley