NASA licenses resin for polyimides to Imitec

Cleveland, Ohio – NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland recently signed a commercial nonexclusive license agreement with Imitec Inc. of Schenectady, New York. The agreement includes development, manufacturing, and distribution of NASA’s resin transfer moldable RTM370 imide resin to make the next generation of high-performance aerospace polyimides.

RTM370 high-temperature material has a variety of potential applications ranging from aerospace applications – such as aircraft engines, space propulsion systems, and missiles – to bushings and bearings for non-aerospace applications – such as oil drilling and rolling mills.

“We are very happy to announce this partnership,” said Kim Dalgleish-Miller, chief of the Technology Transfer Office at Glenn. “The collaboration between NASA and Imitec opens excellent opportunities for creating impact in the marketplace and benefits to the economy.”

NASA and the aerospace industry need lightweight polymer composites to replace metal components, which would result in fuel efficiency and bigger payloads in aircraft and space transportation vehicles.

“Imitec is pleased to work with NASA and welcomes the opportunity to develop the next generation of aerospace polyimides in cooperation with Glenn Research Center,” said Jack Keating, president. “We are happy to be working with NASA again to deliver cutting-edge technologies.”

Dr. Chun-Hua “Kathy” Chuang, inventor of RTM370, is a chemical engineer in the Materials Chemistry and Physics Branch at Glenn.

NASA's Technology Transfer Program is charged with finding the widest possible applications of agency technology. Through partnerships and licensing agreements with industry, the program ensures that NASA's investments in pioneering research find secondary applications that benefit the economy, create jobs and improve quality of life.

Source: NASA