HRL Labs LLC was recently presented with an Emerging Technology Award by RadTech for its new ultraviolet (UV) photopolymerization technique to create or “architect” microlattice materials in a rapid, scalable fashion. 

The microlattice materials are formed by taking advantage of a self-propagating waveguide phenomenon that can occur under certain exposure conditions. Because the waveguides propagate from a single exposure plane and can interconnect during formation, thick 3-D polymer microlattice materials can reportedly be formed in less than one minute with features ranging from tens of microns to millimeters. 

The flexibility of this new approach can enable precise control of the microlattice material architecture, which ultimately enables the design of a material to achieve a particular property or function. These new materials can be used in lightweight energy-absorbing structures, thermal management materials, bio-scaffolds and more.

For additional information, visit www.hrl.com.