M4 Sciences and Purdue University industrial engineering receive 2010 R&D 100 Award for TriboMAM drilling technology

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – James Mann, CEO of M4 Sciences LLC, announced Wednesday (July 28) that the TriboMAM™ drilling system has been named as one of R&D Magazine's 100 most innovative products introduced into the marketplace in 2009.

M4 Sciences TriboMAM™ design provides ultraprecision drilling that allows for more efficient production of orthopedic bone screws, electronic equipment and automotive engines. R&D Magazine named the device to its "2010 R&D 100" list as one of the top 100 most significant technologies developed during the past year in the United States. (Photo provided by the Purdue Research Park)

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The R&D 100 was awarded to M4 Sciences and the Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering as a co-developer.

The award, which is given each year by the editors of R&D Magazine, is considered a benchmark of achievement in industry sectors and within the research and development community. Products from all over the world were judged by a panel of representatives from industry, research institutes, academia and national laboratories.

"It comes as no surprise that M4 Sciences is receiving this recognition for its one-of-a-kind advanced manufacturing technology," said Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "We know that Purdue University and its peer institutions throughout the state continue to be the birthplace and incubator for some of the world's most promising innovations. M4 Sciences' growth and industry recognition is a positive indicator of Indiana's entrepreneurial capital."

M4 Sciences' TriboMAM drilling system enables Modulation Assisted Machining (MAM)® technology in precision machining. MAM technology increases the speed of mechanical machining processes by introducing a controlled oscillation motion on the cutting tool.

The TriboMAM design integrates piezoelectric motion technology with microprocessor controls that enable drilling with MAM in computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools. The first TriboMAM system drills holes from 0.2 to 5 mm diameter up to 500 percent faster than existing technology, allowing more efficient production of a wide range of products. Examples include orthopedic bone fixation screws and advanced fluid and hydraulic components used in aircraft and automotive systems.

"M4 Sciences is honored to receive a 2010 R&D 100 Award," Mann said. "The TriboMAM is front-line manufacturing technology, and the award also is an affirmation of the important role of manufacturing among all of the outstanding new products introduced around the world."

Mann added that the award also is recognition of the outstanding work by the M4 Sciences team and Purdue University colleagues. Purdue School of Industrial Engineering professors W. Dale Compton and S. Chandrasekar began the MAM research 15 years ago, and in 2005 co-authored the first MAM patents with Mann.

M4 Sciences CEO and founder James Mann works on a computer numerically controlled lathe machine used for the company's TriboMAM™ ultraprecision drilling technology. The design of the device provides greater precision and increases the speed of mechanical machining processes. The device can be used in the electronics, health-care and manufacturing industries. M4 Sciences just signed an agreement with Fukuda Corp. in Tokyo to market the device to machine tool manufacturers. (Photo provided by the Purdue Research Park)

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M4 Sciences announced last week that Fukuda Corp. (Tokyo) will market TriboMAM in Japan. Fukuda is a provider of accessory parts and precision equipment to machine tool manufacturers and machine tool end-users. Japan represents nearly one-fifth of the $68 billion world market for machine tools and is the home to several major manufacturers of CNC machines.

"The R&D 100 award combined with the recent patents issued and timing of the international product distribution agreement between M4 Sciences and Fukuda emphasize the critical role that MAM technology will play in developing sustainable machining processes for manufacture of advanced products," Mann said.

The technology developed by M4 Sciences was discovered at Purdue University and licensed through the Purdue Research Foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization. In late 2009, two patents related to TriboMAM and MAM technology were issued from the U.S. patent office and are now under international filings. Mann co-founded M4 Sciences in 2005 at the Purdue Research Park.

In 2006, M4 Sciences received a Small Business Technology Transfer Research Award from the National Science Foundation to support MAM drilling research, a program that has now entered into a Phase IIB award through 2012 and has provided total funding of $1.3 million. In 2007, the state of Indiana awarded M4 Sciences a $1.5 million grant from the 21st Century Research and Technology Fund to promote commercialization of the precision drilling technology. The state provided additional follow-on and matching grants of $500,000. M4 Sciences also has successfully commercialized MAM technology with more than $2 million invested in research and product development from private investment and commercial sales.

This is the 48th year that the R&D 100 Awards have been presented. The winners are chosen by an independent panel of judges and R&D Magazine editors. Since 1963 the R&D 100 Awards have identified industry-changing technologies including the ATM (1973), the halogen lamp (1974), the liquid crystal display (1980), the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch (1992), lab-on-a-chip (1996) and HDTV (1998).

The R&D 100 Awards Banquet will be Nov. 11 at SeaWorld in Orlando. Familiar industry names such as IBM, Frito Lay, Siemens, Intel Corp. and Toyota won awards this year for products ranging from biodegradable packaging to drive management systems for next-generation automobiles. Innovation also was strong from high-profile government and academic laboratories, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, which received awards for technologies including nanostructured batteries and safety systems for airports of the future.

M4 Sciences, based in the Purdue Research Park of West Lafayette, specializes in designing and developing new technologies and systems for ultraprecision machining. M4 Sciences' technical expertise and business experience will help accelerate Indiana to the forefront of the rapidly expanding micro-meso mechanical manufacturing M4 industry. For more information visit https://www.m4sciences.com

The Purdue Research Park (https://www.purdueresearchpark.com) has the largest university-affiliated business incubation program in the country. The Purdue Research Park has four sites in 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.

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