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January 2004 Seed Grant Awardees

The following 23 companies were approved for Seed Grants in January 2004. Below are the non-confidential Seed Grant awardee project summaries:

"Cast Furniture Joint" PM, Puelle Design, Yarmouth, - Requested funds will be used to develop prototypes of cast metal furniture joints. These joints are a means to reduce labor cost, while also serving as a key design element in a final piece of up-market furniture. This combination of form and function will allow the production of a highly desirable product at a competitive price point. Grant request of $9580 matched with $20,225.

"Safe Handling, Inc Toll Processing Facility" ENV, Safe Handling, Inc, Auburn, - Safe Handling Inc. is a transloading terminal company specializing in hazardous and quality sensitive bulk materials. We propose to conduct market research of the Toll Processing industry to determine the business potential in the Maine market. This funding and match will support the market research to validate this business opportunity. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $11,246.

"Custom made flatware with unique handles" COMP, Artful Wares, Inc., Old Town, - Artful Wares (AW) is an innovator and manufacturer of flatware featuring unique, composite handles created with indigenous shells and stone from Maine. We are seeking grant funding to apply for a patent to protect our unique manufacturing process and to develop our business plan to further our strategic alliances. Grant request of $4175 matched with $4,175.

"SerDes Development Initiative" IT, Quadic Systems (a wholly owned subsidiary of Tundra Semiconductor Corporation), South Portland, - Tundra Semiconductor, located in South Portland, specializes in System Interconnect communication products. A SerDes (serializer-deserializer) is a crucial component in system interconnect, telecommunication, networking infrastructure, and consumer electronics. The SerDes Development Initiative partners with the University of Maine to develop SerDes architecture and design for current and future systems. Grant request of $9800 matched with $9950.

"Evaluation of New Type of Composite Lumber" COMP, Correct Building Products, Biddeford, - This project involves the development of a new type of wood-plastic composite decking product for the Composite Materials Technology Sector. The project will evaluate the manufacturability and product performance through durability and mechanical testing. $9200 is requested from MTI to perform this study. Correct Building Products will provide $9840 in match.

"Interactive Dance In A Box" IT, Trefoil Corporation, Orono - We are prototyping a product that uses wireless technology, multiple sensors and body movement to control animation, video projection, music and light. The scope of work is to develop a prototype product for sale to parents, schools, museums, and other educational venues. This technology fits best in the information technology sector. Grant request of $9900 matched with $10250.

"Composite-based Load Cell for Industry" COMP, The Montalvo Corporation, Gorham - The Montalvo Corporation proposes to develop and commercialize a new class of force sensors ("load cells") that will offer distinct advantages over all existing load cells by utilizing composite material properties. This Seed Grant will fuse several important technologies into this new product, a cost-effective Maine-built device for worldwide distribution. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $18290.

"Beta Prototype Thick Layer Metallizer" PM, D2 In-Line Solutions, LLC, Gray - The Thick Layer Metallizer ("TLM") process is a new vacuum process for depositing relatively thick layers of metal on plastic substrates. This project will demonstrate TLM process viability under near-production conditions. The successful completion of this test will directly impact the precision manufacturing technology sector in Maine. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $10,000. top of page   News/Media Home

"Development of Sea Urchin Aquaculture in Maine" AQUA, Friendship International, Camden, Development of Sea Urchin Aquaculture in Maine, Project is for proof of concept, market research and development award preparation. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $13,025.

"Non-ferrous Vacuum casting service development" PM, New England Castings, LLC, Hiram New England Castings, a precision metal working sector company, proposes to develop an in-house non-ferrous vacuum casting solid mold service capability to product technically more complex castings and expand the alloys that can be offered. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $44100.

"Lab Testing/ Engineering Evaluation of Micro Furna" ENV, Energy By Waste, Inc. d/b/a Maine Micro Furnace, Portland - Energy By Waste, Inc., has patented Micro-furnace technology that delivers extremely low air emissions while operating at high efficiency. $10,000 is requested for laboratory testing of the furnace with two different fuels, and engineering analysis including combustion efficiency. This is matched by $17,600.

"Mobile Medical Documentation" IT, pdachart, Inc., Cape Elizabeth - pdachart is a complete Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Electronic Medical Record (EMR) documentation program for healthcare providers. Pdachart complies with current guidelines, using medical language, displaying diagnoses and billing codes. Pdachart synchronizes with the desktop PC, instantly capturing patient care information and printing legible typed notes to the patient's chart. Grant request of $7500 matched with $7500.

"Work-In-Process Tracking System for Manufacturers" PM, TraxALLmfg, Scarborough - TraxALL is an affordable lean-manufacturing hardware and software system that provides factory management with real-time tracking of work-in-process. It's designed to increase productivity for small manufacturers and benefit the precision manufacturing sector. We are requesting $8200, matched with $12,000 to develop a commercialization strategy and business plan.

"Automation and Improvements to Core Technology" PM, EmbedTech Industries, Raymond - A previous grant was used to demonstrate encapsulation of Radio Frequency Identification inlays. The two-step process produces a few hundred products per day. Now, funding in the precision manufacturing technology sector is requested to automate and improve the process in order to increase production by a factor of 10. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $21344.

"Market research for a biofuel home heating service" ENV, Frontier Energy, Inc., China Village - Biodiesel is a vegetable based alternative for diesel fuel or heating oil. Marketing this cleaner burning, renewable fuel targets the environmental sector. Proceeds from the proposed grant would be used to conduct market research leading to the commercialization of a biodiesel home heating service. Grant request of $9515 matched with $10215.

"Abunai Super Tuner" PM, Abunai, Scarborough - Abunai is developing the Super Tuner, an electronic device that enables a user to recalibrate an engine's fuel injection system to improve its performance. Its unique design enables it to work on any engine. The scope of the project is to develop 5 prototypes. The target sector is precision manufacturing. Grant request of $9550 matched with $11425.

"Prosthetic Fit Quantified via Gait/Socket Pressure" BIO, AtlanticProCare, Portland - This biotechnology/biomedical pilot study is in preparation for a SBIR proposal concerning a simple prosthetic volume management tool for the lower-limb amputee. To validate the development of this tool, a study is needed to demonstrate a correlation between the basic principles of gait, socket pressure, and socket fit. Grant request of $9040 matched with $10020.

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"Market Analysis for an On-Line Oil Quality Monitor" ENV, Mainely Sensors, LLC, Orono - Mainely Sensors is developing an oil quality monitor for automotive and industrial applications. The scope of work within this proposal pertains to acquiring marketing research to facilitate the development and sale of the sensor. $10,000 is requested from MTI; $10,000 in matching funds will be provided.

"Sproul's of Maine Reflector Oven" PM, Sproul's of Maine, Lincoln - Sproul's of Maine, based in Lincoln has developed a patent-pending reflector oven. The proposed statement of work will meet several objectives critical to the commercialization of our product including developing a commercialization strategy, and refining the manufacturing process. This project falls within the scope of the targeted precision manufacturing sector. Grant request of $6608 matched with $10,595.

"Carbon Nanotube Production Trials" COMP, Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc., Sanford - ATS intends to provide end users with affordable carbon nanotubes for commercial Composite Material Technologies. This proposal's scope includes carbon nanotube production trials. These trials provide necessary experience and the initial seed for the formation of a cluster of experts and end users to support ATS' pursuit of future funding. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $10,174.

"Technical Analysis for Carbon Fiber Masts" COMP, Black Plastics, Bass Harbor - Black Plastics seeds to develop carbon fiber masts for the recreational sailing market. This second seed grant will allow us to develop a composition identified as appropriate for our application under the first technical evaluation. This project fits within the scope of Maine's targeted composites sector. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $13,100.

"Evaluation of Alternative Plant Propagation Media" ATFA, Rynel, Inc. / Grow-Tech Division, Boothbay Rynel's Grow-Tech Division has developed an alternative plant propagation media for sales to commercial and noncommercial growers. Seed grant monies will be used to contract a noted plant expert to conduct propagation tests of Grow-Tech's new media versus the competition's media. Test results will enable Grow-Tech to refine its product design and better target/market its products to customers. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $15,813.

"Solar Cogenerator Assemblage Design" ENV, Ascendant Energy Company, Inc., Owl's Head, Ascendant Energy will engineer an encasement and mounting system for its solar electric and heat system that pays for itself in one-third the time of conventional photovoltaics. The aim is to package the solar cogeneneration product in a compact rooftop assemblage that interfaces with the building envelope. Grant request of $10,000 matched with $10,020.