FAQs Archive | Page 2 of 3 | Multiscale Systems

Q: What industries do you work with?

We have developed advanced material solutions for an array of industries, including defense, aerospace, transportation, and energy. Often, metamaterial composites designed for one application can be used across several different industries. An example is MetaCORE, which can be used in impact absorbing defense applications, as well as improving crashworthiness in electric vehicles.

Q: Where can I find technical data?

Technical data can be found in Resources , including datasheets, white papers, and case studies.

Q: Can metamaterial composites be produced with additive manufacturing?

Yes, additive manufacturing - or 3D printing - is a viable method to produce the necessary metamaterial geometry. It also offers a number of advantages over traditional approaches: Metamaterial composite parts can be manufactured at the point and time of need, reducing reliance on supply chain logistics. 3D printing allows for relatively low-cost manufacturing, with the costs of materials and equipment becoming increasingly more affordable. Designs for 3D printed products can easily be improved and upgraded for new materials, making them future proof. By additively manufacturing metamaterial composites, designs can quickly be iterated, tested, and validated, making for quicker development cycles.

Q: What manufacturing methods are compatible with metamaterial composites?

Metamaterial composites can be created using a range of methods, including: Injection molding Thermoforming Casting Milling Pattern transfer Additive manufacturing

Q: How do I choose the best metamaterial composite for my application?

"Bespoke" is a popular buzzword these days, but that's exactly what we offer our clients. The beauty of Multiscale System's approach to advanced material design and manufacturing is that it can be highly customized to suit a particular application. The patented geometry (or multiple geometries), material, density, cell size, etc. all affect the performance of a finished metamaterial composite product. We work directly with our customers to develop a product that will deliver the exact requirements for their specific needs.

Q: Are metamaterials composites and optical metamaterials the same thing?

While they are both classed as metamaterials, metamaterial composites (or mechanical metamaterials) and optical metamaterials differ in their responses to external forces. Optical metamaterials are a type of electromagnetic metamaterial that can affect electromagnetic waves. Mechanical metamaterials are classed as a type of structural metamaterial, which are more concerned with physical properties like density, strength, and stiffness. Mechanical metamaterials can take the functionality of structural metamaterials further by using corrosion-resistant or high-temperature materials, for example.

Q: What are metamaterials composites made of?

Just about anything! Because a metamaterial composites are the combination of a specific geometric pattern and a base material, they can be made out of almost any material including metals, composites, elastomers, polymers - even paper. In other words, the geometries that give metamaterial composites their optimized characteristics are largely agnostic to the material type.

Q: Why is Multiscale Systems the leader in metamaterial composites?

Multiscale Systems was created with the intent to commercialize advanced materials research conducted by founders Jesse Silverberg, Ph.D., and Arthur Evans, Ph.D., during their doctoral and postdoctoral training. Their primary motivation was to see their research on mechanical metamaterials (or metamaterial composites) progress beyond academic papers and into real-world applications. This motivation was enhanced by an apparent absence of technical expertise required for the technology to be advanced by existing materials science/engineering firms, which are generally more focused on developing new chemical and molecular structures. We design our metamaterial composites computationally using a combination of proprietary and professional engineering software, drawing on the original research of Jesse and Arthur, being one of the first companies to offer metamaterial composites to clients. For metamaterial composite purchasing and licensing options, visit Armory Technologies .

Q: How do metamaterial composites provide advanced functionality?

[fusion_builder_container type="flex" hundred_percent="no" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" parallax_speed="0.3" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" overlay_color="" video_preview_image="" border_color="" border_style="solid" padding_top="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" padding_right=""][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" center_content="no" last="true" min_height="" hover_type="none" link="" border_sizes_top="" border_sizes_bottom="" border_sizes_left="" border_sizes_right="" first="true"][fusion_text] The properties of a metamaterial composite - such as geometry, orientation, and unit size - all contribute to that metamaterial composite's advanced functionality. For example, MetaCORE offers high impact absorption, large R-values, and is isotropic (provides optimized functionality in all directions). Changing a property can change the resulting functionalities, making highly customized metamaterial composites possible. Read more about advanced functionality, features, and benefits of metamaterial composites . [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Q: What are the benefits to using metamaterial composites over conventional materials?

Limitations and trade-offs associated with conventional materials (metals, polymers, composites, etc.) impact all aspects of manufacturing, from cost to performance. Making new materials is usually accomplished through chemistry, which is hard, expensive, and slow. We need a better way to produce new materials. Enter metamaterial composites. Since new geometries - not new molecules - are being created, the time and cost to demonstrate a performance improvement are much lower. Metamaterial composites also allow multiple enhanced characteristics to be applied to the base material, depending on the geometry. And base, raw materials are easily sourced - no need for costly supply chain modifications. Metamaterial composites are compatible with traditional manufacturing methods, such as injection molding, thermoforming, casting, milling, and roll-to-roll pattern transfer, which allows for easy mass production and supply chain integration.