Date: Jan 26, 2008 Author: Gerard OBrien Source: University Press Release (
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The shift is on for Resodyn Corp. in 2008. That is, the shift from a research and development company to a commercial, manufacturing firm that is building a host of high-tech projects that would make your head spin — literally.
The company, based in Uptown Butte's historic six-floor Hennessy building — with a new 17,000-square-foot, $1.2 million manufacturing facility across Granite Street — is run by Larry Farrar and employs 30 people with all sorts of engineering specialties. Annual payroll is $3.39 million, property taxes total $77,000.
"Resodyn has experienced some good growth and development in the past, and is building on its core technologies for the future," said Farrar, president of the firm.
"Resodyn started out as a research and development firm. But the thrust of our platforms is to get into manufacturing, as evidenced by the facilities that we've built," Farrar said. He notes that his business must move in that direction in order to survive. Federal dollars are drying up and it's unlikely that Butte will benefit from as much federal funding as it has in the past. "However, we're pretty excited about the future and we're going to see substantial growth for the company," Farrar said. Of particular note is the firm's resonant acoustic mixer: Resodyn is the only company in the worldusing sound-wave technology to mix complex materials. And, it is working on large-scale applications from its small prototype. It has such potential for commercial applications that See RESODYN, Page D18 the firm has spun off a separate company, Resodyn Acoustic Mixers Inc.
"We've hired a marketing manager and sales person in the past year, who is giving demonstrations around the country. And, we've had large companies come to Butte to do some testing here," Farrar said.
The firm has built a small, bench-top mixer as a prototype. It costs about $35,000. This month, it will develop a five-gallon mixer ($256,000) and a 50-gallon mixer by the end of the year, with its price tag yet to be determined.
In simple terms, the mixer uses electro-magnetic vibrations similar to a stereo speaker; the sound waves can mix material that is difficult to combine or materials that usually take long periods of time. Some materials that used to take hours to mix by conventional means, now can be mixed in a matter of minutes.
"We use sound energy, no propeller," said Farrar. "It allows us to mix materials of high viscosity in a short amount of time, or add small particles into liquids." Resodyn is focused on pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and some aerospace applications for the large-scale mixer.
"It's very fast and very thorough," he said.
It was recently named one of the "breakthrough products of 2007" by Processing Magazine, a trade publication, and received strong reviews in Chemical Engineering magazine.
"We've gotten a lot of contacts out of that publicity," said Farrar. "It's taken a few years to develop it and become accepted. The major hurdle is that it's break-through technology and, since we're a small firm, serious companies want to ensure Resodyn is around to produce and maintain this equipment." Parts for the mixers are machined at outside shops around the country. Resodyn does the assembly work and quality assurance.
Others products Resodyn is working on include:
- Thermal spraying: Thermal processing technology for powder-coating materials, such as ships and aerospace products. Basically the firm has developed a spray/mixing machine that sprays a powder coat onto buildings and lightweight armor. Two machines have been sold to NASA, one for its site in Langley, Va., and one for Glenn, Ohio. A third one is being developed for the Air Force.
"We will be going commercial with this machine by the end of the year," Farrar said. Plus the firm will be selling the polymer plastic coating materials employed by the sprayer; sort of a high-tech painting machines along with the paint.
- Bioreactor: Resodyn has a strategic partnership with a large, international bioreactor company. The reactor is similar to the sonic mixer, but employed for a variety of applications such as in the biomedical and pharmaceutical field. "We'll design the prototypes and manufacture them here. The bioreactor firm will market it around the globe," Farrar said. Though he declined to name the firm, it is one of the world's top three in this field, he said. "It's very exciting company to be associated with this company." t Tissue engineering — Resodyn is researching biodegradable products, a synthetic tissue substitute, that helps heal flesh wounds, among other uses. The concept is like applying a bandage to a wound and, as it heals, it also dissolves in or on the body. Again, the firm would produce the product and a bio-engineering firm would market it.
- Metal fatigue: The Navy has contracted with Resodyn to test the fatigue of holes drilled in metal for its jets. Funding is continuing on this project, so it is showing some progress.
- Bio-fuels: Resodyn has two patents and two in the works for a project funded by EPA and other agencies to use cellulose — basically straw — to extract a biofuels product from it. Dupont and British Petroleum are spending $500 million in the next 10 years in research in this field. Resodyn hopes to license its technologies to those who can use them.
- Nano technology: Looking at some technology with the National Science Foundation additives to enhance the properties of matierals.
