M4 Sciences announces new product development innovation

The TriboMAM drilling system, produced by M4 Sciences, will soon be available for horizontal and vertical CNC machining centers, which require rotating "live" tooling. The TriboMAM product allows up to a 500 percent increase in drilling productivity and reduces manufacturing cost in high value-added precision drilling operations on computer-controlled machines. The technology is compatible with computer-controlled lathes used in automotive, hydraulics and orthopedics industries to manufacture precision components with drilled holes ranging from 0.2 mm to 5 mm in diameter.

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – James Mann, CEO of M4 Sciences LLC, announced Wednesday (Nov. 9) that the company has achieved a milestone in product development of the TriboMAM® drilling system for Modulation-Assisted Machining® (MAM) technology. The company has just completed demonstration of a next-generation TriboMAM drilling system design that will be adaptable to CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers that require rotating tools (referred to as "live" tools).

"The successful demonstration of a rotating TriboMAM drilling system will expand M4 Sciences' target market by tenfold over our current commercial product," Mann said. The market is adopting MAM technology and TriboMAM for drilling in CNC lathe machines, and the expansion to vertical and horizontal machining centers will revolutionize precision hole-drilling processes around the world."

He added that vertical and horizontal CNC machining centers make up the majority of metal machining systems world-wide, and production of a diverse range of high-performance products in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and orthopedic sectors require some type of drilling on CNC machining centers, which can benefit directly from TriboMAM drilling systems.

M4 Sciences is already engaged with a strategic customer to introduce a custom rotating TriboMAM for horizontal machining centers within the next 18 months along with a commercial industrial version for specific market segments. M4 Sciences anticipates the new drilling system, referred to by M4 Sciences engineers as "TriboMAM-live," will bring MAM technology to the forefront of manufacturing technology.

M4 Sciences' MAM technology enables up to a 500 percent increase in productivity in precision drilling for the manufacture of orthopedic, automotive, aerospace, industrial and hydraulic systems. In 2009 M4 Sciences introduced the first commercial TriboMAM drilling system that superimposes a low-frequency oscillation in machining processes, and the company received the 2010 R&D 100 Award. In September 2011, the company announced a technology sublicensing agreement with a world-leading manufacturer, Belgium based NV Bekaert SA.

The machining technology developed by M4 Sciences was discovered at Purdue University's School of Industrial Engineering and licensed through the Purdue Research Foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization. Mann, also a co-author of the patents, co-founded M4 Sciences in 2005 at the Purdue Research Park.

"M4 Sciences is a recognized leader in ultra-precision machining and this new development is a tremendous asset for the global metals processing industry," said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. "The growth of this product is a testament to the important research being conducted at Purdue and how discoveries such as TriboMAM are making a global impact."

About M4 Sciences

M4 Sciences, based in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, specializes in designing and developing advanced technologies and systems for ultra-precision machining. In 2011, M4 Sciences received the Tibbett's Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for demonstrating exemplary performance in technology development and commercialization. M4 Sciences also received the 2010 R&D 100 award for product development. For more information visit

About Purdue Research Park

The Purdue Research Park has the largest university-affiliated business incubation program in the country. The Purdue Research Park has four sites in the state of Indiana. They are Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, Purdue Research Park at AmeriPlex-Indianapolis, Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana and the Purdue Research Park of Southeast Indiana. The nearly 200 companies located in the park network employ about 4,000 people. In 2004 the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette was named Outstanding Science/Research Park by the Association of University Research Parks.

Purdue Research Park contact:
Cynthia Sequin, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org

Source:
James Mann, CEO M4 Sciences, 765-479-6215, jbmann@M4Sciences.com