Lockheed Martin Files Patent for a Synthetic Diamond 3D Printer

Aerospace company Lockheed Martin has filed a patent for a new kind of 3D printer for synthetic diamonds, according to multiple sources.

The patent, filed in April by inventor David G. Findley, describes a new way of 3D printing which would use a pre-ceramic polymer and nanoparticle filler to create synthetic diamond objects of “almost any geometry”, as well as brake pad inserts and lightweight armor.

The method invented by  David “involves depositing alternating layers of a ceramic powder and a pre-ceramic polymer dissolved in a solvent. Each layer of the pre-ceramic polymer is deposited in the shape that corresponds with the object being created”, according to the filing. The deposited materials are then heated to at least 100 degrees celsius.