Posted: February 20, 2007 |
Nanotechnology manufacturing becomes a bottleneck |
(Nanowerk News) Using impossibly tiny materials to solve difficult technological problems is nanotechnology's bread and butter.
|
But the advancements spawned in a laboratory won't amount to a hill of beans unless they can make the leap into the real world. That's the message researchers are taking away from a new UMass Lowell study, in which executives from companies involved in nanotechnology cited high-volume manufacturing as far and away the greatest need in the field.
|
"There's a very strong message in there that indicates the nation needs to invest in technologies and equipment that allows for ... production of nano-based products," said Edward March, UMass Lowell's "executive in residence." March was part of the UML team that developed the survey, which was conducted along with Small Times magazine.
|
Of the 407 respondents, spanning many different industries, 39 percent said high-volume manufacturing was the most important component of nanotechnology research and development in the U.S. "Basic long-term research" was second at 15 percent.
|
Rick Hess, president of Lowell-based Konarka Technologies, said research and manufacturing should go hand in hand.
|
"You obviously have to do both," Hess said. "You can't stop the research, but at some point you need to get the technology into the market and prove its viability."
|
Konarka, founded in 2001 after an incubation period at UML, is still developing its flagship product, a photovoltaic material called Power Plastic. The product can be integrated into rooftops, windows, and even clothing to generate solar power. Hess said Konarka has been working for more than a year with a German company to find a way to manufacture Power Plastic. Konarka expects to start releasing the product sometime in 2008.
|
Nanomanufacturing is a difficult process, Hess said, and it's hard to accurately reproduce large amounts of the tiny materials.
|
"Nailing that process down to produce a high-quality product is where the work is," Hess said. "I think we've come a long way with that."
|
March said Konarka is well ahead of many nanotech firms, some of which are almost 10 years away from commercialization. UML is planning an $80 million bio- and nanomanufacturing center that could help those companies bring their products to market, and establish Massachusetts as a leader in the field, he said.
|
The survey results reinforced the university's view that the center will be crucial to the region's economic development.
|
"It was extremely encouraging," March said. "We (may) even concentrate our efforts more on developing manufacturing technologies and on product realization."
|
UML has already established several labs scattered around campus to start the work, which will eventually be expanded when the center is built.
|
Hess said Konarka and other companies will benefit significantly from partnerships with UML.
|
"There's a lot of great research going on at universities and companies," he said. "There's a lot of ... exciting stuff out there."
|