The DOE Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University announces that ASM Fellow Iver Anderson, Senior Metallurgist, has been inducted into the National Academy of Inventors for demonstrating a “highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating and facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.”
The ceremony, which was held April 15 in Washington as part of the NAI’s Fifth Annual Conference, welcomed 168 new Fellows into the academy. Each Fellow was presented with a special trophy, a medal, and a rosette pin.
“I am honored to have been recognized as an NAI Fellow,” says Dr. Anderson. “This award is an outstanding endorsement of contributions made by academic inventors like me to research and, in particular, to research that can have a lasting impact on society.”
Dr. Anderson is best known for his co-invention of lead-free solder, the top-earning patent for Ames Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory. It generated approximately $60 million in royalty income throughout the life of the patent, which expired in 2013. At its peak, more than 50 companies in 13 countries licensed the invention.
In addition to lead-free solder, Dr. Anderson and his colleagues developed gas-atomization technology to produce fine, spherical titanium powder for additive manufacturing and metal injection molding of aerospace, medical, and industrial parts. A spinoff company, Iowa Powder Atomization Technologies, was created in 2012 to exclusively license Ames Laboratory’s titanium atomization patents. In 2014, IPAT was acquired by Praxair, a Fortune 250 company and one of the world’s largest producers of gases and powder-based surface coatings.
“Iver has dedicated his career to conducting outstanding research, and his commitment to excellence has paid off through the awarding of this Fellow recognition,” said Ames Laboratory Director Adam Schwartz. “He has accomplished much, and we fully expect his list of inventions to grow further in the years ahead.”
