November 28, 2006
Mikro Systems’ seminal patent “Devices, Methods, and Systems Involving Castings” (Patent No. 7,141,812 B2) was issued by the US Patent Office on Nov. 28, 2006, the first in a series of patent applications related to Mikro Systems’ innovative manufacturing technology platform known as Tomo Lithographic Molding (TOMOSM).
TOMOSM allows cost-effective, high-volume manufacturing of structures and devices with individual features dimensioned as small as 50 microns (half the diameter of a human hair) and with aspect ratios (height/width) up to 50:1.
Using the TOMOSM process, complex 3D solids composed of advanced materials such as metal/polymer composites, ceramics, and/or plastics, can be produced at a fraction of the cost of alternative technologies. This patent addresses the devices, methods, and systems of manufacturing that have enabled Mikro Systems to extend the limits of practical manufacturing technology to include the meso (ten-thousandth) to micro (millionth) meter dimensional regime.
Mikro Systems continues to enact a strategic management plan for its intellectual property, including patent filings, trade secret criteria, and technology licensing agreements. Still pending are five additional US and international patent applications which address specific devices and application areas in which the TOMOSM process can be used.