Additive Manufacturing Plastic Materials with Improved Dielectric Breakdown Strength

In this Phase II program, Voxtel will design, manufacture, and benchmark-test additive-manufactured (AM) insulators capable of electrical stress greater than 25 kV/mm, for use in high-electric-field applications, such as high-power microwave (HPM) devices. These insulators will sustain vacuum of 10-7 Torr and withstand 20 psi of pressure. To achieve this goal, Voxtel will synthesize readily additive-manufactured nanocomposites with high dielectric-breakdown strength that are mechanically rigid. We will develop 3D AM processes in two types of industry-leading 3D printer systems for these materials and devices. Through an array of state-of-the-art metrological analysis, we will finely calibrate the properties of the nanocomposite inks and the 3D printing processes to achieve the project goals. We will also develop the ability to design improved, novel insulator geometry by theoretically calculating the electric-field stress on the surface of the insulators and using an optimization algorithm to select the geometry that minimizes the electric-field stress, thus enhancing the durability and minimizing the form factor and cost of insulators.