Four inventors from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center were honored on Nov. 21 for an invention for the production of combustible cartridge casing material. Pictured left to right, Francis Sullivan, Nikolaos Ioannidis, Viral Panchal and Philip Abbate.

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- Four inventors from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center shared Thomas Edison Patent Awards from the Research and Development Council of New Jersey at an awards ceremony at Bell Works in Holmdel, N.J. on Nov. 21 for an invention for the production of combustible cartridge casing material.

Armaments Center inventors Nikolaos Ioannidis, Viral Panchal, Francis Sullivan and Philip Abbate shared the award with Costas Gogos and Zohar Ophir from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Ming Wan Young from NJIT’s Polymer Processing Institute (PPI). Donald Sebastian from NJIT was in attendance to accept the award on behalf of the NJIT and PPI inventors.

The group was recognized for its contributions to Patent No. 11,780,141 B1 “Continuous Process for Producing Foamable Celluloid,” which was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 10, 2023.

The patent is for a novel manufacturing technology enabling continuous production of foamed celluloid, a fast-burning, moisture-resistant and dimensionally stable new material for combustible cartridge casing and other next-generation ammunition systems. The technology provides a safe, consistent, and environmentally friendly process for continuous manufacturing, and represents a significant technological advancement over traditional celluloid manufacturing methods.

The inventors can be seen discussing their invention in the video here: https://vimeo.com/1027401479/5fd5dafc5d?share=copy

The R&D Council recognized a total 62 inventors for 14 patents during the 45th annual patent awards ceremony to highlight New Jersey’s legacy of scientific advancement with global impact.