The Department of the Army published a notice of intent on October 13, 2026, stating that it plans to grant a partially exclusive license to Zyltech Engineering, LLC, a company with its principal place of business in Houston, Texas. The SUMMARY of the same notice describes the planned grant as an "exclusive license" (91 Fed. Reg. 64913).

Fields of use and listed IP

The notice says the license would cover the licensed fields of use as they relate to the manufacture, use, and sales of covered dual-material and/or multi-material filaments for 3D printing. The listed materials include styrenic polymers and copolymers (mainly ABS and ASA), polycarbonate and its derivatives, nylon and its derivatives, and thermoplastic elastomers including TPE, TPU, PEBA, and related elastomeric thermoplastics (91 Fed. Reg. 64913).

The notice lists U.S. Patent Nos. 10,968,539 ("Process for creating a filament"), 11,001,945 ("Process for creating a polymer filament suitable for use in three-dimensional printing"), and 11,566,349 ("High strength 3D-printed polymer structures and methods of formation"), plus U.S. Publication Nos. 2022/0033998 ("Multi-material polymer filament for three-dimensional printing") and 2025/0282952 ("Method of additive manufacturing and dual material elastomeric filament"; the notice prints this number as 2025/028952), with Army Research Laboratory docket labels (91 Fed. Reg. 64913).

Objection window

Written objections must be filed not later than 15 days after publication. The notice states that the prospective exclusive license may be granted unless, within that period, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory receives written objections including evidence and argument that establish that the grant of the license would not be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209(e) and 37 CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i), as the notice cites them. Competing applications completed and received within the same window are also treated as objections (91 Fed. Reg. 64913).

The notice does not say whether the license has been granted, and it does not state royalty rates, territory, or term.