Former Oil Worker Invents 3D-Printed Battery

Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

Or support our Kickstarter campaign!

Despite the abrupt U-turn in federal energy policy, there’s no stopping the power of US innovators to push the energy transition envelope globally, as well as here at home. The latest example comes from the Texas-based startup Material, which has just earned $7.1 million in Seed funding to help push its 3D-printed batteries into the market, with the aim of eliminating the “dead space” and extra weight of conventional batteries.

Thank An Oil Worker: 3D-Printed Batteries Are Finally Here

Examples of printed batteries are difficult to find, but they’re out there. Back in 2015, for example, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California deployed 3D printing to create an energy-storing aerogel. A more recent example is the California startup Sakuu, which is focusing on solid-state technology. (see lots more 3D printing background here).

Material has something new to contribute to the field. Its 3D-printed batteries are not standalone energy storage devices. They are designed to be integrated within the shape and structure of battery-operated devices. That saves a considerable amount of weight and potentially cuts costs, while opening up new areas of design flexibility.

Material also has a unique backstory that illustrates how traditional energy workers are transitioning into clean tech. In many examples, such as the geothermal field, the skills and resources transfer is a direct one. Material co-founder Chris Reyes followed a different path, starting with a short stint at college before heading off to the oil and gas industry, where he worked construction jobs for several years.

Back at school after being sidelined by a workplace injury, Reyes completed his undergraduate degree in applied mathematics at Texas State University, earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at Duke University in North Carolina, and returned to Texas as postdoctoral student at Rice University before taking a slot at the Texas State STAR Park technology incubator to develop his 3D-printed batteries and co-found Material with Miles Dotson and Gabe Elias.

How Does It Work?

Material’s core technology is a chemistry-agnostic platform called called HYBRID3D™. Their website is rather thin on detail, but the communications team at Texas State provides additional background on the integrated battery system, which rests on a combination of copper nanowires and high-strength plastic, combined in one custom-built 3D printer.

“Reyes has invented a chemical process for synthesizing copper nanowires, filaments roughly a thousand times thinner than a human hair,” explains Robyn Ross of Texas State, who describes the wires as having the appearance of “coagulated clumps of tiny sticks.”

“The nanomaterials, which carry the battery’s electricity, can be 3D printed into any shape and then solidified with a laser,” Ross elaborates. “The process eliminates roughly half the metal that would be used in a traditional battery of the same size, in which the conducting components would be coated onto thin sheets of metal that are rolled into a cylinder. Instead, Reyes’ batteries can be made in any custom shape.”

$7.1 Million For 3D-Printed Batteries

Material plans to move into the mobility space, but for now the initial the focus is on headsets, drones, robotics, and other relatively small devices that can benefit from an integrated energy storage system.

“We’re integrating batteries directly into devices and turning the entire structure into the battery,” Reyes emphasizes. “This means longer run-times, lighter devices, and freedom from traditional battery pack constraints.”

“This category-defining method produces batteries which adopt the shape of the object rather than forcing the object to accommodate a rigid, cylindrical or pouch cell. The platform unites multiple advanced additive and semiconductor manufacturing techniques to print energy into the very structure of a device,” Material added in a press statement on January 13.

Elias, who serves as CEO of Material, also chipped in his two cents. “Whether it’s filling the hollow profile of a fixed-wing drone or conforming to the body of a wearable device user, our platform allows electrical power to behave like a fuel design element,” he explained.

The challenge now is to scale into volume production while cutting costs, and the new $7.1 round of seed funding will help make that happen. Outlander VC and Harpoon Ventures co-led the round. Also participating were GoAhead Ventures, Myelin VC, Demos Capital, and Giant Step Capital.

The US Air Force Is Eyeballing 3D-Printed Batteries, Too

Considering the weight-saving potential of the new batteries, it’s no surprise to see. the US Air Force getting into the act. Last year the USAF issued a $1.25 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract to Material, under which the company is tasked with integrating its technology into Class I unmanned aerial systems.

The UAS classification system is governed by NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, which is still a thing that exists as of this writing. Class I refers to the smallest UAVs at the micro, mini, and small scale. For the record, Class II includes medium-sized devices used for tactical purposes. Class III is divided into Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) and High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) aircraft.

As for scaleup, Material is also funded by the New Jersey-based global hardware accelerator HAX, a program of the venture firm SOSV. That’s no small potatoes. A seal of approval from HAX indicates long term support towards commercial success.

“Startups apply to HAX with an initial prototype, customer insight, and vision. We then invest and build alongside our founders, fundamentally inflecting their technical progress with our team of engineers and investment partners,” HAX explains.

“Founders should think of HAX as an extension of their engineering, business development, fundraising, design, and marketing teams. As startups reach critical milestones, we support fundraising strategy and investor introductions,” they add.

That’s not just talk. HAX offers its startups up to $550,000 in pre-seed funding along with access to labs, machine shops, and other resources at its own 35,000 square-foot facility in Newark, New Jersey, just a hop away from Manhattan. Startups can also connect with HAX branches in India and China.

“The most valuable part of the program (that is often understated) is engagement with a globally diverse community of HAX founders,” HAX emphasizes.

With the HAX connection in hand, Material is yet another demonstration that the war against clean tech is a losing proposition. Clean tech innovators in the US can and will continue to flex their muscles on the global stage, regardless of who occupies the White House.

Image: The US startup Material has developed a 3D-printed battery that eliminates the “dead space” created by conventional energy storage systems (screenshot, courtesy of Material).