Performance of Second 50 Completed ATP Projects — Status Report Number 3
NIST Special Publication 950-3 (January 2006)
APPENDIX A
Development of New Knowledge and Early Commercial Products and Processes
Advanced Materials and Chemicals; Biotechnology; Electronics, Computer Hardware, or Communications; Information Technology; Manufacturing
Table A.1 Advanced Materials and Chemicals |
| A. Awardee Name |
B.
Technology |
C.
Products or Processes Commercialized or Expected to be Commercialized Soon |
Budd Company, Design Center |
Low cost disposable film bladder that acts as a vacuum to hollow out parts made from slurry process |
Introduced capability to produce SRIM structural impact bumpers in approximately three minutes per unit which may be practical for industries with low-volume output (heavy truck, recreation vehicle (RV), and watercraft) |
Caterpillar Incorporated |
Functionally gradient materials for heavy machinery |
Developed a cost-effective processing technology to enhance production |
| Ebert Composites
Corporation |
Five-axis CNC machine that is capable of
accurately tracking and machining composite
lineals on a continuous basis |
Commercialized technology into composite
structures for electric power poles and lattice
towers |
| EDO Specialty Plastics
(formerly Specialty
Plastics, Inc.) |
Integral flange technology, heat-activated
coupling technology, an improved fitting
manufacturing technology through intelligent
filament winding using optical sensors |
Marketed resin transfer molded flanges,
reducers, and elbows and started to earn
revenue. Their chief customers are the Shell
Exploration and Production Company, Exxon,
and Texaco, in the Gulf of Mexico |
| Ford Motor Company |
Liquid composite molding process |
Commercialized process |
| General Electric
Company |
Monomer from corn that potentially could be
used in engineering thermoplastics |
Unable to commercialize its technology
because of scientific and technical failures,
the company is continuing its research into
creating a viable product |
| Honeywell (formerly
Allied Signal, Inc.) |
54-micrometers thick, metallic glass ribbons
with 60% reduction in core loss from that of
conventional grain- oriented silicon steel;
casting system providing higher cooling rates;
established conditions for casting ribbon up to
80 micrometers thick; gained better
understanding relationship between casting conditions and ribbon properties; crafted 7.6
cm wide, 75 micrometers thick ribbon with
high-quality magnetic properties; constructed
equipment and processes for cutting thick
ribbon; incorporated process for annealing
spooled ribbon |
Metallic glass ribbons are currently
incorporated into many products that are sold
worldwide |
| Honeywell, Inc.,
Technology Center |
Generated advanced process understanding
for neural network controls and sensors for
complex materials and established the
groundwork for Honeywell's continued
development of neural networks |
Continued to explore neural network
technology and developed related products,
such as its Profit Sensor software |
| Nanophase
Technologies
Corporation |
Technology that enabled a 25,000-fold
increase in the development of nanoscale
materials and a 20,000-fold reduction in cost |
NTC titania in cosmetic sunscreens; NTC
zirconia, ceria, and yttria in catalysts and
near-net-shaped ceramics; iron oxides
incorporated into cosmetic pigments, NTC
alumina in near-net-shaped ceramics and
electronic substrates |
| Norton Diamond Film |
Diamond-coating and pretreatment
technology for coating complex shapes |
Commercialized a diamond-coated end-mill
product that it currently supplies to the
graphite, non-metallic materials, and metalmachining
industries |
| Praxair Surface
Technologies, Inc. |
Advanced the coatings industry's
understanding of the newest form of physical
vapor deposition-Linear Magnetron Sputtering |
None. Did not achieve all technical goals |
| Strongwell Corporation |
Large cost-effective, high-performance
composite shapes that last longer and are
maintained more easily than the concrete and
steel that is now aging and deteriorating in the
country's infrastructure |
Developed a manufacturing process to create
high-strength, advanced Fiber-reinforced
polymer (FRP) composites that could be used
in bridge and building construction |
Table A.2 Biotechnology |
| A. Awardee Name |
B. Technology |
C. Products or Processes Commercialized or Expected to be Commercialized Soon |
| Genzyme Corporation
(formerly GelTex
Pharamaceuticals,
Inc.) |
Continued research for infectious
disease |
None. Changes in the healthcare marketplace led
Genzyme to abandon its research |
| Hyseq, Inc. |
Developed a prototype called the
HyChip™ that could sequence entire
genes at a time |
None. Post-project business considerations have
delayed commercialization. Hyseq and Applied
Biosystems also spun off a majority-owned
subsidiary, Callida Genomics, Inc., to pursue the
DNA sequencing upon which Hyseq was founded. If
Callida is a success, the company could bring new
drugs and sequencing methods to market in the next
10 years (the normal drug development timeframe) |
| Nanogen, Inc. |
Developed a microchip-sized DNA
diagnostic system that uses electric
current to actively hybridize DNA,
allowing for faster and less expensive
DNA diagnostic work |
The NanoChip® Molecular Biology Workstation is the
first product line in what Nanogen hopes will be a
long series of DNA diagnostic tools. Current
capabilities include detecting abnormalities in gene
sequences. Future diagnostic applications include
entries into the oncology, infectious diseases, and
genetic testing markets |
| Nanogen, Inc. |
Developed a prototype microchip-sized
DNA diagnostic system and desktop
computer-sized workstation for
analysis |
Nanogen has commercialized the NanoChip®
Molecular Biology Workstation. An automated multipurpose
instrument that facilitates detection of known
sequences, such as in the analysis of Single
Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Short
Tandem Repeats (STRs) using the NanoChip®
Electronic Microarray. The unique, open-architecture
design permits researchers to define, select, and
build their own test panels |
| Third Wave
Technologies, Inc. |
Created process known as Cleavase
Fragment Length Polymorphism
(CFLP) that generates a distinct bar
code for every unique DNA sequence |
ThirdWave has moved beyond the CFLP and now
commercializes the proprietary Invader® Technology,
a molecular diagnostic tool that is quickly becoming
the industry standard |
Table A.3 Electronics, Computer Hardware, or Communications |
| A. Awardee Name |
B. Technology |
C. Products or Processes Commercialized or Expected to be Commercialized Soon |
| ColorLink, Inc. |
Underlying technologies for a highefficiency,
solid-state, electro-optic
tunable filter for color-sequential
imaging |
Several technologies are being commercialized in the
television and monitor display industries. These
technologies include retarder stacks and custom
laminations |
| Digital Optics
Corporation |
Integrated Micro-Optical System
(IMOS) for the production of low and
mid-volume opto-electronic devices |
Photonic ChipTM |
| Displaytech, Inc. |
Developed a manufacturing process
for mass production of ferroelectric
liquid crystals (FLCs) for displays |
Mass produced FLC display chip |
| Eagle-Picher
Research Laboratory |
Developed blue and green prototype
lasers and LEDs exhibiting superior
output capabilities. Achieved success
in substrate development, laser and
LED output power, and substrate
quality |
None. Eagle-Picher redirected its research into zinc
oxide-based lasers and LEDs |
| Elsicon (formerly
Alliant Techsystems,
Inc.) |
Products and services related to
optical alignment of Liquid Crystal
Displays (LCDs): pre-tilt analysis
system for LCDs, an R&D tool
enabling the identification of the
process parameters for the optical
alignment of LCDs and devices,
measurement system for the voltageholding
ratio, materials that support the
optical alignment of LCDs |
Developed a platform for commercialization of the
products and services related to the optical alignment
of LCDs at Elsicon |
| Information Storage
Industry Consortium
(INSIC, formerly NSIC) |
Developed technology for giant
magnetoresistive (GMR) recording
heads capable of writing and reading
10 gigabits per square inch |
The GMR head technology received such broad and
fast industry adoption that it became the industry
standard in record time |
| Laser Power
Corporation |
Development and improvement of Red
Green Blue (RGB) microlasers |
Sold technology to Melles Griot to continue research
and development |
| MicroFab
Technologies, Inc. |
Development of a high-volume wafer
bumping prototype that demonstrated
dispensing of 40 to 120 nanometer
spheres of molten solders at
temperatures of up to 220 degrees
Celsius, on-demand, and at rates up to
2,000 per second |
Licensed technology for use in solder balls |
| Micron Optics, Inc. |
Developed High-Speed Fiber Fabry-
Perot Tunable Filters (FFP-TF) for
communication networks |
Commercialized improved FFP-TF (although all ATP
goals not met) |
| Physical Optics
Corporation |
New type of diffuser light based on
holographic technology. The ATP-funded
diffusers are twice as efficient
as previous diffusers |
Manufacturing holographic diffusers |
| X-Ray Optical
Systems, Inc. |
Manufacture of capillary x-ray optics,
polycapillary optics lenses, and
collimators |
Commercialized machines that use polycapillary
optics lenses and collimators |
Table A.4 Information Technology |
| A. Awardee Name |
B. Technology |
C. Products or Processes Commercialized or Expected to be Commercialized Soon |
| 3M Company Health
Information Systems |
Clinical Data Repository |
Prototype is installed in healthcare facilities
throughout the United States |
| Accenture (formerly
Andersen Consulting) |
Developed and demonstrated the
functionality of a healthcare
information system that could control
costs, eliminate redundant care, and
give healthcare providers more time
with their patients |
None. Changes in the healthcare industry, however,
made a centralized information infrastructure
irrelevant, and commercialization did not take place |
| American Healthware
Systems |
Developed a Graphical User Interface
that are less complex than the Health
Care Plan System |
None. Although the company failed to develop an
interface that could prompt physicians to use the care
plans in an effective manner, the company continued
its research into hospital information systems after
the project ended in 1997 |
| Hynomics (formerly
Hybrithms
Corporation, formerly
Sagent Corporation) |
Hybrid systems, automata, and control
theory |
Commercialized a workforce optimizer and people
scheduler for SAP; one of the largest enterprise
solutions providers |
| KOOP Foundation,
Inc. |
Developed and demonstrated a
business process reengineering
information technology application for
use by the healthcare industry |
None. Changes in the healthcare marketplace
prevented the Koop Foundation joint venture from
commercializing the ATP-funded technology |
| KOOP Foundation,
Inc. |
Developed an essential middleware
framework for the healthcare
information infrastructure |
None. Aggressive cost cutting had not proved
successful for healthcare providers, and a universal
approach to healthcare delivery had faded from the
national scene |
| Kurzweil Applied
Intelligence, Inc. |
Developed voice recognition software
as a result of the ATP project |
The technology has since been integrated into
Lernout & Hauspie's VoiceXpressTM product, which
allows voice control of Microsoft and Corel Office
software products |
| MediaBin (formerly
Iterated Systems
Incorporated) |
Produced prototypes of compressors
and decompressors using a
combination of fractal and non-fractal
elements. |
None. Changes in the market made ISI's innovation
obsolete. By the end of the ATP-funded project in
1995, use of the Internet had become widespread,
thus reducing the need to store vast image libraries
on PCs |
| PPD Informatics
(formerly Belmont
Research, Inc.) |
Addressed the problem of data
integration by creating a software tool
that would browse and automatically
extract healthcare data from scattered
databases without altering the existing
systems. The Table Trans and
Belmont Auto Coder products provide
these capabilities |
PPD Informatics continues to market both Table
Trans™ and Auto Coder to the clinical research
industry |
| Reasoning Systems,
Inc. |
Developed technology that reduced
the time, cost, and risk of
reengineering across a wide variety of
legacy systems |
None. After a sharp drop-off in the transformational
software purchasing that had fueled its explosive pre-
2000 growth, a leaner Reasoning has refocused its
business model, secured an additional $9 million in
venture funding, and continues to commercially
market the software technology developed during the
ATP-funded project |
| Surgency (formerly
Benchmarking
Partners) |
Created the Retail Working Group, the
first Internet-based retail business-tobusiness
collaboration initiative that
served as the forerunner to the
formation of the VICS CPFR
implementation manual and the
widespread use of collaborative
practices |
Warner-Lambert purchased a pilot version of its
collaborative technology, and Kmart, Gillette
Corporation, and others paid for executive briefings,
access to collaborative process models, and
consulting services |
| TopicalNet (formerly
Continuum Software,
Inc.) |
Developed MultiPly™, a technology
allowing business programmers to
develop scalable business applications
without having to learn parallel
programming |
None. Venture capital not available at the time
because the computer industry was focused on Y2K
compliance |
| TopicalNet (formerly
Continuum Software,
Inc.) |
Developed a software tool using
projective visualization that would
enable the creation of future
databases |
TopicalNet's ATP-supported technology and its
subsequent acquisitions have allowed the company
to provide its customers with traffic verification,
analysis, and research solutions for the World Wide
Web |
Table A.1 Manufacturing |
| A. Awardee Name |
B. Technology |
C. Products or Processes Commercialized or Expected to be Commercialized Soon |
| Calmac Manufacturing
Corporation |
Unable to develop an ejector
expansion refrigeration cycle (EERC)
to increase the efficiency of the cycle
by recovering some of the unused
energy in the compressed fluid |
None. Scientific and technical failures prevented
Calmac from successfully developing the EERC
technology. Calmac did, however, advance the
refrigeration industry's body of knowledge for
modernizing the vapor compression process, and
future industry efforts may potentially expand on the
inroads made by Calmac |
| Corning Tropel
(formerly Tropel
Corporation |
Cylinder metrology instrument based
on diffractive optics to enable highspeed,
in-process, non-contact
measurement of complex shapes such
as cylinders and cones in a
manufacturing environment |
Commercialized Cylinder Master™ product |
| Dana Corporation |
Magnetic pulse welding process that
combines a precision metal-forming
step with unconventional welding
aluminum and steel load-bearing
structures to enable welding tubular
steel to aluminum without depositing
additional metal. The process requires
precisely crafted and machined tubes
of metal bonded by heating generated
by a rapidly shifting magnetic field |
After durability testing at OEM sites, Dana expects to
commercialize the magnetic welding process for use
in manufacturers of U.S. and European vehicles |
| GE Corporate
Research &
Development |
No technologies were successfully
developed as a result of this project |
None. Although the company did not achieve its goal
of developing mercury-free fluorescent lighting for
existing sockets, it did advance the state-of-the-art of
mercury-free fluorescent lighting |
| Ingersoll Milling
Machine Company |
Octahedral hexapod machine tools |
Sold three high-precision, multi-axis machine tools
based on an octahedron frame and a "Stewart
platform" actuator |
| M&M Precision
Systems Corporation |
Automatic computer-controlled error
correction software, rotary-axis
technology enabling smoother and
faster gear measurements, and new
control technology enabling a
smoother, more precise gear motion
during measurement |
Commercialized the 3500-series measurement
machine |
| Perceptron (formerly
Autospect, Inc.) |
Using its Laser Ultrasonic technology,
developed non-contact method for
online measuring of wet-paint
thickness to enable a high-quality
painting process for the automotive
industry |
Sold prototype wet film measurement (WFM) system
to DaimlerChrysler. No commercialization after that
initial sale |
| Philips Laboratories |
Fabricated sealed cavities that
contained a dose of mercury and
argon ambient. Created three electrode
microlamps:
- One high-pressure mercury microlamp
- One high-pressure mercury microlamp
with arcs of 1mm suited for
projection applications
- One with electrodes on one side, a
design enabling the microlamp to be
illuminated using low electrical
current for low-wattage applications
|
None. Philips Lighting could not commercialize the
product at prices low enough to compete with
microlamps already on the market, so the company
abandoned plans to bring a product to market |
| Sheffield Automation
(formerly Giddings &
Lewis) |
Validation of non-interferometric lasers
with single-mode optic fiber laser
beams for metrology applications and
development of a multi-degree-of-freedom
laser measurement system |
Unable to develop a commercial-ready prototype
from their work, but applied technology developed to
the later development of its Atlas, Discovery,
Endeavor, and ProGage series CMMs |
Return to Table of Contents or go to next section of Status Report No. 3.
Date created: April 4, 2006
Last updated:
July 10, 2006
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