PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (TSX:PYR, OTCQX:PYRGF) announced that it has been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) a new US Patent No US 11839918, encompassing the company’s NexGen plasma atomization powder.
The provider of advanced plasma processes said the patent, entitled 'Method and Apparatus for Producing High Purity Spherical Metallic Powders at High Production Rates From One or Two Wires', describes the company’s NexGen plasma atomization technology for producing metal powder for use in additive manufacturing and 3D printing.
In particular, the patent describes the innovative aspects of the NexGen system that create the potential for higher and more efficient production rates, including a two-wire simultaneous feedstock approach where the wires themselves are electrically charged before reaching the plasma atomization step.
"With a goal to produce the highest quality metal powders in the additive manufacturing industry, PyroGenesis Additive has taken a cautious, methodical approach over the past few years as we designed, then readied, our new NexGen plasma atomization process," PyroGenesis Canada CEO Peter Pascali said in statement.
"With full commercialization achieved, and now with the U.S. patent confirmed for our technology, we look forward with great optimism regarding our future, with an ever-widening range of metal powder offerings becoming available to the additive manufacturing industry," he added.
PyroGenesis noted its NexGen system feeds two separate spools of metal wire (such as titanium) that are first electrically charged, creating an electrical arc that melts the wire before a plasma torch atomizes the melted wire into powder particles using a supersonic plasma stream, which results in a more efficient atomization of the metal – raising production output significantly.
The company added that the efficiency of its dual-wire feed approach broadens metal powder market opportunities to include metal injection molding for consumer electronics.
PyroGenesis has patents pending in Canada and in other global jurisdictions for the same NexGen plasma atomization process, according to the company.
PyroGenesis Canada is a high-tech company and is a leader in the design, development, manufacture, and commercialization of advanced plasma processes and sustainable solutions that reduce greenhouse gases and are economically attractive alternatives to conventional processes.