Patents by Inventor Steven P Michaels

Steven P Michaels 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).

  • Tooling having advantageously located heat transfer channels
    Patent number: 6354361
    Abstract: Processes for providing enhanced thermal properties of tooling, particularly metal and metal/ceramic molds, made by solid free form fabrication techniques, such as the three dimensional printing process, and the tooling made by these processes are disclosed. The methods of enhancing thermal properties include incorporating integral contour coolant channels into the mold, adding surface textures to the coolant channels, creating high thermal conductivity paths between the surfaces and the coolant channels, and creating low thermal inertia regions in the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Emanuel Sachs, Steven P Michaels, Samuel M. Allen
  • Tooling made by solid free form fabrication techniques having enhanced thermal properties
    Patent number: 6112804
    Abstract: Processes for providing enhanced thermal properties of tooling, particularly metal and metal/ceramic molds, made by solid free form fabrication techniques, such as the three dimensional printing process, and the tooling made by these processes are disclosed. The methods of enhancing thermal properties include incorporating integral contour coolant channels into the mold, adding surface textures to the coolant channels, creating high thermal conductivity paths between the surfaces and the coolant channels, and creating low thermal inertia regions in the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2000
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Emanuel Sachs, Steven P Michaels, Samuel M. Allen
  • Enhancement of thermal properties of tooling made by solid free form fabrication techniques
    Patent number: 5775402
    Abstract: Processes for providing enhanced thermal properties of tooling, particularly metal and metal/ceramic molds, made by solid free form fabrication techniques, such as the three dimensional printing process, and the tooling made by these processes are disclosed. The methods of enhancing thermal properties include incorporating integral contour coolant channels into the mold, adding surface textures to the coolant channels, creating high thermal conductivity paths between the surfaces and the coolant channels, and creating low thermal inertia regions in the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Emanuel Sachs, Steven P. Michaels, Samuel M. Allen
  • Three-dimensional printing techniques
    Patent number: 5387380
    Abstract: A process for making a component by depositing a first layer of a powder material in a confined region and then depositing a binder material to selected regions of the layer of powder material to produce a layer of bonded powder material at the selected regions. Such steps are repeated a selected number of times to produce successive layers of selected regions of bonded powder material so as to form the desired component. The unbonded powder material is then removed. In some cases the component may be further processed as, for example, by heating it to further strengthen the bonding thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Michael Cima, Emanuel Sachs, Tailin Fan, James F. Bredt, Steven P. Michaels, Satbir Khanuja, Alan Lauder, Sang-Joon J. Lee, David Brancazio, Alain Curodeau, Harald Tuerck