Carl R. Deckard

Carl R. Deckard, Ph.D, ME, is an American inventor, teacher, and businessman. He is best known for inventing and developing Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), a method of 3D printing.[1]

Career

Deckard initially came up with the idea for SLS as an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin).[2] He continued developing the technology as a Masters and PhD student with the help of Dr. Joe Beaman, a professor at UT-Austin.[3] After several years of trial-and-error, Deckard's machine was capable of manufacturing real parts. He licensed the technology from UT-Austin and co-founded Desk Top Manufacturing (DTM) Corp. in 1987.[3] DTM Corp. specialized in rapid prototyping and manufacturing systems for manufacturers and service bureaus. DTM Corp. was acquired by 3D Systems in 2001 at a $45 million valuation.[4] Deckard became an engineering professor at Clemson University after DTM's acquisition.[3] After three and a half years, Deckard returned to Austin to work on the Deckard Engine, a four-stroke engine aimed at replacing emission-emitting two-stroke engines in small, hand-held products.[2]

The majority of Deckard's work is in the additive manufacturing industry.[3] In 2012, Deckard co-founded Structured Polymers LLC, a company that develops novel polymers for SLS machines.[5]

Patents

  • Selective Laser Sintering with Assisted Powder Handling (U.S. 4,938,816)[6]
  • Method and Apparatus for Producing Parts by Selective Sintering (U.S. 4,863,538)[7]
  • Multiple Material Systems for Selective Beam Sintering (U.S. 4,944,817)[8]

References

  1. ↑ Lorincz, Jim. "Masters of Manufacturing: Carl R. Deckard PhD". Manufacturing Engineering Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 Lorincz, Jim. "Masters of Manufacturing: Carl R. Deckard, PhD". Manufacturing Engineering Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lou, Alex. "Selective Laser Sintering, Birth of an Industry". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "3D Systems and DTM Corporation Announce Plans to Merge". NetComposites. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  5. ↑ "IT/Wireless". Austin Technology Incubator. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Patent US4938816-Selective laser sintering with assisted powder handling". Google. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Patent US4863538". Google. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Patent US4944817-Multiple material systems for selective beam sintering". Google. Retrieved 2 January 2014.



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