Sim Table

Failures of leadership have been cited as a factor contributing to wildland fire accidents. There is no substitute for experience with fighting actual wildfires, but experience can be hard to come by and tragically unforgiving. Fortunately, there are tactical decision games, such as sand table exercises, that allow firefighters to practice situational assessment, to consider and select courses of action, and to practice communicating those decisions on three-dimensional (3D) terrain models.

SimTable, a company located in Santa Fe, can predict and display fire behavior using an interactive, 3D, agent-based model. The SimTable™ combines the tactile nature of a sand table with applied high-level mathematics. Partners Chas Curtis and Stephen Guerin developed a program capable of forecasting fire behavior utilizing slope, terrain, wind speed, wind direction, vegetation, and other factors. They have also programmed algorithms to model human response to fire. The SimTable™ calibrates the topography of the sand and indicates where to adjust the piles so the 3D sand table agrees with the projected Geographic Information System (GIS) data from the target region. The topography of the area can then be seen in color-coated representations of a slope or switched to a Google Earth image.

When Guerin and Curtis sought to make the simulation more interactive, they approached the NMSBA Program for assistance. This resulted in the involvement of Dr. Rohan Loveland of LANL’s Space and Remote Sensing Sciences Department, who provided assistance by developing algorithms for object-tracking machine vision. Now the SimTable™ “sees” movement and objects through a camera and can project the “screen” anywhere. SimTable is a 2010 recipient of a Los Alamos National Security, LLC Venture Acceleration Fund (VAF) award. According to Curtis, the company anticipates hiring two engineers to work on the design and manufacturing of the SimTable™ by the end of the year.

Trinity Medical Corporation

Daniel Barela, the founder of Trinity Medical Corporation, currently serves as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Flight Paramedic. Barela noticed that often there are not enough hands available to apply pressure on the esophagus to prevent passive regurgitation and pulmonary aspiration while performing CPR. Barela scoured medical literature and clinical studies to determine the most effective amount of pressure and application method. Barela’s research resulted in an invention that can be applied to the throat as an alternative to hand pressure.

Once Barela designed a prototype for the medical device, he sought a way to construct the device to apply specific and accurate pressures: too little and the device would not prevent aspiration, too much and the device could block airflow. To help Barela with material choices and mechanical design, the NMSBA Program looked to SNL’s Organic Materials Department in Advanced Manufacturing for assistance. Barela showed the device to Bob Winters, a specialist in innovative prototype fabrication, materials technology, and engineering design. Winters helped Barela develop a “water faucet” feature that incorporates spring action precision to maintain appropriate pressure with components to “lock-out” further adjustment. Without NMSBA’s assistance, Barela says, “I would be spinning my wheels. Bob Winters was the right person at the right time.”

Having met this technical milestone in the development of his invention, Barela currently seeks a second patent for his revised prototype. Winters optimization of the new prototype into an injectionmoldable design will allow the medical device to be mass-produced. As a result, Trinity Medical is seeking clinical trials at UNM and is in position to pursue additional investment capital through Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC). Once Trinity Medical wins FDA approval for the medical device, the company can move into production with plans to manufacture two million units a year in Albuquerque.

Sustainable Resources, Inc. (SRI)

Sustainable Resources, Inc. (SRI) President Joe Ortiz has been working to employ a solar-powered kinetic pump to convert brackish water into fresh water, a process known as desalination. In 2008, Ortiz obtained a long-term lease on the former Roswell National Desalination Facility to test SRI’s pump. When Ortiz discovered the facility also functioned as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Research Center, he wanted to learn more about the potential applications of algae growth for water purification and biofuel generation. His idea was to develop the facility, newly named Sun Harvest Proving Ground, into a business incubator for research, development, and commercialization of those technologies.

A chance meeting between Ortiz and Steve Walsh, the co-director of the Anderson Schools of Management Management of Technology Program (UNM MOT) at the University of New Mexico, resulted in a New Mexico Small Business Assistance with UNM MOT. Walsh assembled a team of MBA students, including Michael Dunagan, Austin Yost, and Justin Dewey, to perform a technology assessment and forecast as well as an expeditionary marketing study for SRI.

As part of the technological assessment and forecast, the team analyzed the technological competencies for water purification and provided a technology readiness level for the kinetic pump that led them to define a value proposition focused on the combined potential of the pump and the facility. The value proposition was used to forecast the trajectory of the business and its ability to enter the marketplace. Coupled with the information from the expeditionary marketing study, the team provided pathways for the company to build upon its value proposition and differentiate from its competitors.

Ortiz attributes his business success to UNM MOT’s innovative approach to marketing and business development. Sun Harvest Proving Ground will now be used as an algae business incubator ready to grow, harvest, extract, and market algae.

Ramah-Española Basin

Many of New Mexico’s estimated 130,000 private wells contain high levels of naturally-occurring toxic elements such as uranium, radium, and arsenic. Private domestic wells are not regulated under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, and well owners often lack reliable and thorough information about the quality of their drinking water and available treatment options. Basic testing equipment fails to detect most groundwater contaminants, and groundwater containing multiple contaminants further complicates treatment needs.

The Ramah-Española Basin leveraged project assisted water treatment companies by educating their target market—private well owners—about the quality of their drinking water, and by providing the companies with needed data about groundwater quality and treatment options. SNL and LANL collaborated with the participating small businesses, tribal government, state agencies, and local governments to conduct water fairs in Ramah and Santa Fe areas.

In the Santa Fe area, more than 500 private well owners had their water analyzed for over 50 contaminants and water quality parameters. Patrick Longmire, an aqueous geochemist at LANL, and his team of Benjamin Linhoff and Michael Rearick, oversaw the water fair and conducted the water chemistry analyses. The well owners were provided with confidential data about their water quality, and LANL created regional groundwater quality maps that identify areas of natural mineralization and contamination. In the Ramah area, Malcolm Siegel, an environmental scientist at SNL, teamed with local businesses to evaluate water quality on and near the Navajo Reservation. The information about groundwater quality is being used by the NMSBA companies in both areas to identify potential customers and offer appropriate, inexpensive point-of-use treatment systems, and develop and evaluate innovative treatment technologies.

Small business participants in the project include Good Water Company, National Water Services Inc., and Watermatters, LLC, Santa Fe; Inscription Rock Trading & Coffee Company and Tayshas Traders, Ramah; HydraTech of New Mexico, Corrales; Mesa Canyon Water and Wastewater Operations, Farmington; Castillo Clear Water, LLC, Kirtland; and MIOX Corporation, Albuquerque.

Intor

Reflections and scattering of certain wavelengths of light create the iridescent colors in butterfly wings and peacock feathers. The wings and feathers act like optical filters, letting only some of the light pass all the way through. Manmade optical filters use the same principle in instruments such as those for blood analysis and pest identification. Intor CEO Stanley Bryn has been manufacturing optical, soft-coated thin-film filters for 50 years using technology developed in the 1960s, while also seeking the best ways to remain competitive and grow his company.

Mr. Bryn decided to collaborate with Frank Reinow, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at New Mexico Tech. Through NMSBA assistance, Professor Reinow and his students—Gavin Torres, Byron Whitehorse, Cody Winclechter, and Natalie Earthman—used a combination of engineering and business expertise to analyze Intor’s current technology, market position, and growth potential. This included assessment of the company’s soft-coated thin-film technology, the state of the current optical filter market, and future market trends. The team identified Intor’s biggest strength as high production efficiency resulting in high-quality softcoated thin-film filters that could be offered at a competitive price. However, a technical market analysis indicated that hard-coated thin-film filters (which are more impervious to scratches and humidity than the soft-coated variety) might be becoming more popular with end users.

These results helped the company recognize the need to invest time in further research to identify potential end users and opportunities to incorporate hard-coated thin films into their manufacturing process. Currently, Intor has identified a potential partner who manufactures hard-coated thin films that Intor can customize and market to open up a new product line and remain competitive if the market shifts.

In Spring 2010, New Mexico Tech will recognize Stanley Bryn for his engineering contributions to optical thin-film technology and his success as a local entrepreneur by awarding him an honorary doctorate in engineering.

ICE-LOC®

Ten years ago, ICE-LOC® inventor and CEO Dennis Salazar came home to find a burst pipe in the attic that resulted in damage to his walls and floors, which inspired him to invent an inexpensive, easy-to-use pipe protector. ICE-LOC®’s patented product uses a high-performance, FDA-approved flexible tube, requires a minimum number of tools to install, and needs no electricity, allowing it to be used in remote locations or during power outages.

Initially, ICE-LOC® attracted some customers through its website, but without the ability to demonstrate the product’s performance scientifically and visually, the start-up company had trouble convincing potential clients of the product’s effectiveness. This problem led the company to the NMSBA Program. NMSBA paired ICE-LOC® with engineer Kevin Fleming from SNL’s Explosive Applications Team.

Fleming and co-workers Chris Colburn and Rosa Montoya are experts at capturing explosive component tests on video and analyzing the results. The team placed an ICE-LOC®-fitted pipe and an unprotected pipe, both filled with water, into a temperature-controlled test chamber with a viewing window and dropped the temperature to minus 30˚F. The pipe utilizing ICE-LOC® held through multiple tests, while the unprotected pipe exploded catastrophically each time. This was captured on high-speed video shot through the chamber window, providing visual confirmation of the product’s performance under harsh conditions.

The report and video from the assistance provide important information to new customers, who now have more assurance that the company has investigated its claims. This helped ICE-LOC® negotiate a contract with the State of New Mexico General Services Department, and the company is now in the final stages of becoming a Federal General Services Administration contractor.

Grateful for NMSBA’s assistance, Salazar advises other inventors and entrepreneurs, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be humble and transparent and people will go out of their way to help you.”

Firefly Lighting, Inc.

Kathleen Le Scouarnec and John Zubchenok own Firefly Lighting, Inc., a fifteen-year-old company located north of Santa Fe that designs and crafts UL-listed lighting products. Firefly Lighting has developed a niche market among aficionados of their custom designs, and although their products are sold internationally, their strongest market is in the Santa Fe area.

In 2008, the company reached sales of almost $1 million due to larger contracts, including one from Hilton Hotels for the Buffalo Thunder Resort. The company struggled with managing these larger projects, and felt like they were flat-lining during a time they needed to grow. To expand their market, Firefly Lighting wanted to increase production of their line of standardized fixtures while retaining high levels of craftsmanship and customer service.

Through the NMSBA Program, the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NM MEP) provided training and operational assessments to help them improve their operations and position them for expansion. NM MEP Innovation Director Andrea Holling and Center Director Ron Burke worked with the company to find ways to produce more with existing resources by eliminating waste, organizing work space, developing an ordering system for materials, and streamlining administration practices. Since Firefly Lighting has a predominately Spanish-speaking workforce, NM MEP utilized an internal bilingual resource, Claudia Serrano, who translated for employees so that everyone could be involved in the transformation process.

Firefly Lighting turned out to be an ideal client. Holling explains, “With enthusiastic employees and motivated management, Firefly was able to transform from a small custom shop to a manufacturer very quickly.”

Overall, Firefly Lighting has seen an increase in productivity on all levels and an increase in profitability of their products, including a 10% increase in sales and a 30% improvement in on-time delivery of orders. Their streamlined manufacturing process has also put them in a good position to meet the increased demand resulting from their e-commerce web site.

Allied Medical Technology

Bill Reeves began Allied Medical thirty years ago in order to bring innovative medical technology to market. Before coming to the New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) Program for assistance, Reeves and partner Dr. Bob Quick spent $1.25M in clinical trials to demonstrate their device’s ability to decrease healing time using silver nano-technology. While the studies showed the device’s remarkable healing ability, the company wanted to understand the interaction between the silver and the applied DC micro-current.

Silver is known to be a strong anti-microbial agent that can also lead to decreased scarring and inflammation. Though prolonged, high-level use of
silver preparations as health supplements rarely causes problems, long-term exposure to colloidal silver may cause discoloring of the skin and silver toxicity can lead to severe health issues. For these reasons, it is crucial to measure the silver content and species delivered from medical devices.

In order to quantify exactly how much and what type of silver Allied Medical’s device emits, the NMSBA Program enlisted Darren Branch. Branch is an electrical engineer in SNL’s Biosensors and Nano-Materials Department who researches the interface between biology and synthetic chemistry. He conducted the fundamental research to help Allied Medical understand the types of silver ions present and how the current affects the silver ions created by the application of Allied
Medical’s device.

The comprehensive characterization has quantified total silver content of the wound healing device and its ability to release ionic and colloidal silver into solution. The knowledge gained from silver analysis conducted by Branch will enable the company to optimize the device’s operating parameters to best stimulate healing. With the assistance NMSBA provided, Allied Medical can now embark on the rigorous scientific path towards FDA approval and marketing the technology to
the public.

Valverde Energy Inc. and ThermaSun Inc.

Taos, NM

Larry Mapes, owner and founder of Valverde Energy, has been installing solar thermal systems for nearly 30 years. “The opportunity for solar thermal is colossal,” says Mapes, who cites its 60% conversion factor as compared to 15% for photovoltaic (PV) systems. In 2004, Mapes began working with NMSBA on a metering device, the first step in making solar thermal compatible with the grid.

Sandia National Laboratories Principal Investigator John Brown developed a type of smart card to measure usage on solar thermal systems. Today, Mapes is working with NMSBA to address chemical compatibility and architectural issues that shorten the life cycle of solar thermal systems. The fi ndings of Los Alamos National Laboratory Principal Investigator E. Bruce Orler have been surprising and hold potential for revolutionizing the solar thermal industry.

Mapes’ newest company, ThermaSun, was awarded a Northern New Mexico Connect 2009 LANS Venture Acceleration Fund (LANS VAF) grant to develop a new solar thermal prototype based on NMSBA fi ndings. Ultimately, ThermaSun plans to manufacture and sell the units, creating jobs and economic impact in northern New Mexico. “The ultimate goal is to put solar thermal on equal footing with PV solar,” explains Mapes. “Just like the PV inverter of the 1980s, our work will simplify installations, meet utility standards and allow an interface with the grid.” Mapes says the talent and expertise of New Mexico’s national laboratories is his primary advantage. “The work of New Mexico’s national laboratories is the interface that really matters. It’s where science meets the marketplace and creates a better world for us all.” says Mapes. “It’s where science meets the marketplace and creates a better world for us all.”

Energy Matter Conversion Corporation (EMC²)

Santa Fe, NM

EMC² is continuing decades-old research on fusion power which, if proven, would make fossil fuels a thing of the past. Fusion power is the opposite of fi ssion, the method through which nuclear energy is generated today. Fusion is a clean form of nuclear energy found naturally in the sun. It creates energy by pushing (fusing) light nuclei together in a plasma state, rather than splitting heavy nuclei apart and leaving the products as radioactive waste.

EMC²‘s work focuses on the polywell reactor, one of several fusion power technologies currently in research and development. When EMC² reached an impasse in the design process, the New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) program provided the expertise of a LANL scientist, Dr. Glen Wurden, to study the issue. Wurden used light monitors, a spectrometer and fast cameras to investigate and mitigate the instabilities in plasma. “NMSBA’s assistance not only allowed us to overcome our technical challenge, but to keep our technology development on schedule,” says Dr. Jaeyoung Park.