Mechnano Brings D’Func to Carbon Nanotube Technology

Mechnano has trademarked its proprietary process that eliminates clumped and roped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and makes CNT dispersions discrete, dispersed, and functionalized, leading to increased electrical and mechanical performance in the company’s groundbreaking additive manufacturing (AM) masterbatches and materials.

“We are excited to bring D’Func to the AM industry,” said Mechnano President Bryce Keeler. 

D’Func, which is represented by more than 130 issued patents, solves the problems caused by dispersions of “dirty tubes” (clumped CNTs) into materials. Dirty tube dispersions are mechanically inferior to their base formulas — resulting in broken parts or processes that need to be shut down as replacements are put in place. In contrast, D’Func dispersions improve mechanical properties of AM materials.

In ESD applications, dirty tubes leave insulative pockets that reject charges trying to dissipate to the ground, clump into ropes that create lightning rod effects that destroy electronics and leave residual metals from the CNT creation process that cause additional electrical and mechanical part failures. 

“Mechnano’s D’Func dispersions are by nature clean and the answer for today’s increasingly stringent requirements for true static dissipation by AM fabricated parts from resins, powders, pellets, and beyond,” says Keeler. “D’Func provides Nano-Uniform ESD protection throughout the part, regardless of the process, which is why it is becoming the industry standard for AM providers who want consistent, reliable, Nano-Uniform ESD properties. Dirty tubes are less expensive, but they won’t protect sensitive electronics. When you need ESD in your AM materials, make sure you have D’Func.”

The term “D’Func” stems from the firm’s R&D lab, playfully named “Funkytown” for the work performed there to functionalize and disperse Mechnano’s discrete CNTs. While Mechnano scientists have fun with their naming conventions, Keeler says they are serious about developing new solutions that leverage Mechnano’s D’Func technology.

Trademarking D’Func helps clearly differentiate Mechnano’s intellectual property and R&D advances, which continue to keep the company at the leading edge of nano-engineered solutions for AM materials. Other providers cannot provide Nano-Uniformity without Mechnano’s patented discoveries. Contact Mechnano today to request a print of your part using the right D’Func materials for your application.