Innovation Success Story

Intelligent Micro Patterning Grows Though R&D Mentoring

Intelligent Micro Patterning, LLC (IMP), develops and produces imaging equipment for creating substrates used in micro-, meso-, and nano-technology devices. Since 2001, IMP has endeavored to become a leader in innovative imaging heads, capable of writing many times past the number of pixels of competing systems, without a mask and in a single pass. Although IMP’s systems have enjoyed success with users, these users were ultimately responsible for setting up the process runs themselves. In an effort to assist its busy customers, IMP decided to implement a ‘semi-automatic’ method for enhancing the existing system through the implementation of significant process characterization and extensive processing runs.

To better serve users, IMP utilized an H-1B Advanced Manufacturing Grant through Brevard Workforce Development Board (BWDB) in partnership with Time Wise Management Systems and the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Florida MEP) to provide an evaluation of IMP’s products and procedures. As a result of the evaluation, IMP joined forces with the Florida MEP and the University of South Florida’s (USF) College of Marine Sciences in St. Petersburg to provide advisors for IMP employees. Through this collaboration and consultation by USF faculty mentors, IMP exposed and evaluated a process for adding robust control systems to imaging devices. The SIF-100 system found new, unique ways to apply such processes to untapped market areas such as biotechnology and 3D device fabrication.

The grant, funded by the US Department of Labor and administered by the BWDB, allowed IMP to: save $27,500 in direct costs; enhanced overall system performances through development of new, unique system configurations for other markets; tripled its 2006 sales to universities from 2005; completed its first sale in Asia; created new jobs; and obtained CE certification on the SF-100 system.

“Our work with the Florida MEP has allowed IMP to greatly enhance our product offerings to our customer base and provide specific solutions to new market areas,” said Jay Sasserath, Ph. D., CEO of Intelligent Micro Patterning. “This work has allowed IMP to grow our revenue, profitability and find new uses for our base technology.”