Solidica Wins SBIR Phase I Award From Department of Energy to Explore Next Generation Thermal Management

Self sensing copper heat exchangers to be focus of 12 month effort.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 20 -- Solidica, Inc., announced today their selection by the United States Department of Energy for an SBIR Phase I program through the Office of High Energy Physics. The selection was based upon the unique ability of the Solidica Ultrasonic Consolidation process to rapidly fabricate complex metal articles layer by layer. The additive nature of the process enables the use of novel thermal management device designs which can have intricate internal cooling passages that would be impossible to fabricate using conventional technology. Additionally, the Solidica technology has the ability to embed small sensor probes directly between the layers, affording the user real time in-situ thermal profiling to maintain optimal performance of the system. Collaborating with Solidica on the Phase I effort will be the Argonne National Laboratories in Chicago, IL. Paul Choi, Design Manager for Argonne notes that, "Solidica's additive fabrication technology offers the potential to revisit longstanding design architectures for thermal management devices and we are looking forward to working with them on this effort."

The Department of Energy is initially focused on the cooling and monitoring of high energy electron sources and has an eye toward expansion into a wide array of energy related devices. Dr. Dawn White, Solidica CEO notes "The exciting part of this program is the unexpected synergy that exists between the Department of Energy's demanding high energy cooling application and a wide array of high value commercial thermal management needs. Solidica will leverage this dual use opportunity and seek to broadly commercialize the results for use in applications such as electronics, air conditioning, engines and energy transport."

About Solidica

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, Solidica is a rapidly growing technology company that provides advanced materials and solid-state fabrication equipment solutions. Their proprietary Formation(TM) platform combines the ability to quickly "grow" dense metal objects or features with the option of embedding fibers, electronics, armor and sensors. The company leverages its patented Ultrasonic Consolidation technology to provide customers with innovative solutions in industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical, rapid prototyping/tooling, electronics, and military. Visit their website at http://www.solidica.com/ for more information or contact Ken Johnson at (734) 222-4680 x114.