The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology is expanding the second phase of a technology assistance program to include more manufacturers after the first year yielded strong returns for selected participants.
The Manufacturing Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) aims to assist small manufacturers — including startups — with fewer than 100 employees with a $30,000 grant and shared access to CCAT’s training facility.
This year the program increased acceptance by 20 percent to support the large number of interested applicants.
“The technical assistance program encourages internal growth through manufacturing process development,” said Bob Torrani, director of CCAT’s Advanced Manufacturing Center. “Manufacturers constantly compete to be faster, better, and do work for cheaper. Companies must keep up.”
In collaboration with UConn, MTAP allows mid-sized manufacturers, which employ up 10.4 percent of Connecticut’s workforce, to experiment with technology and equipment they couldn’t afford to buy on their own.
Manufacturers can use CCAT’s state-of-the-art facilities to gain knowledge on the latest techniques and equipment. During MTAP’s first year, Bead Electronics in Milford was granted access to reverse engineering and fabrication process improvement; Oxford Performance Materials in South Windsor accessed robotic hole drilling; Laser Technology Associates in Tolland configured additive manufacturing to reduce fabrication time of metal parts; and Flight Support in North Haven improved manufacturing process development using lasers.
The interested companies submitted applications that outlined the proposed projects and the necessary resources, equipment, and monetary support needed from either UConn or CCAT.
Applicants were selected based on need, project threshold, and the deliverables expected after gaining access to innovative technologies at either location. The deadline for second round applications was Dec. 31.
Milford’s Bead Electronics is a fourth-generation family business with 48 employees that makes precision pins for the telecom, automotive, connector, and lighting industries. President Ron Andreoli said tedious precision work in collaboration with mass customization puts Bead in a niche market, which means it must constantly adapt to the ever-changing manufacturing environment.
“MTAP gave us the ability to produce custom interconnected components easier and cheaper than ever before,” said Andreoli. “Since certain equipment is not needed all the time and is very expensive to buy, access to the technology at CCAT, rather than investing in machines to own, created a unique opportunity for Bead.”
For small manufacturers, there is rarely extra capital to invest in new technology, not to mention proper training to assure expected output, said Andreoli. The difference between flourishing and failing in the fast-paced manufacturing industry is dependent on a company’s ability to remain up to date with technology, he said.
CCAT’s facilities support small manufacturers looking to apply hands-on research that will lead to process improvement and manufacturing development, said Torrani.
For companies interested in material science and rapid prototyping, UConn facilities are available.
MTAP’s first year success led to an increase in funding limits allowing for 20 percent more participation. A maximum project grant of $30,000 includes access to equipment at CCAT and/or UConn facilities through 2014.
Andreoli admits the perpetual need to experiment with advanced technology is an ongoing challenge, one that was temporarily alleviated with acceptance into the MTAP in 2013.
“Without MTAP, we would not have the means to remain successful in the next two to three years,” Andreoli said.
