By Allan Maurer
COLUMBIA, SC – Ometric Corp., which recently raised nearly $1,000,000 in equity, shines a light on the manufacturing process for companies ranging from pharmaceuticals to food processors. The company’s Multi-variant Optical Computing technology makes real time measurements of a wide variety of materials in any shape, form, or phase, right on the manufacturing line.
Foudned in 2005, the company is commercializing technology developed by Michael Myrick, PhD, of the University of South Carolina Nanotechnology Center. Ometric COO Lou Kopsa tells TechJournal South that Dr. Myrick developed the optical computing and material analysis system from scratch over 15 years of research.
Normally, spectroscopic analysis of light, which identifies the chemical makeup of any material, tends to require sensitive lab equipment, while laser light is difficult to tune to different frequencies.
Because the Ometric system uses only normal, broad spectrum light and has no moving parts, it is easily adaptable to harsh manufacturing environments. They often pose numerous obstacles to using measurement equipment, including vibration, dirt, extremes of temperature and other difficulties are posed by the typical manufacturing floor. “These are very challenging environments,” says Kopsa.
That’s why traditionally, manufacturers test their product integrity by grabbing samples they then send to a lab for analysis, where they may get results in a few hours or a week.
The Multi-variant Optical Computers used by Ometric shines its broadband light on the materials in question – which may be powders, liquids, slurries, emulsions, or gasses and measures their precise chemical composition at the speed of light. The input, computing, and output are all done with light.
The only part buyers would have to worry about replacing would be the light bulb.
Still, the company encounters skepticism toward its product from some manufacturers before they see it work, says Kopsa. “They’ll point to things lying in a corner that didn’t work,” he says. The company meets that challenge by installing the system without obligation to show a potential customer it works before they commit to buy.
Kopsa says that while the company initially saw pharmaceuticals as a promising target and still sees it as one, it found verticals where it could demonstrate more immediate return on investment. Those include the food industry, Oil and gas, minerals such as soda ash and salt, and clean coal.
The company has developed technology that allows processed meat producers to accurately measure the concentration of fat content in meat at the in-line and in real time.
In the mineral and clean coal industry, manufacturers dry their products in various ways that use a tremendous amount of energy. They have requirements for how much moisture the final product may contain. “Without the ability to look at moisture levels in line, they burn a lot of gas they don’t need to,” explains Kopsa. “With our instruments, they can precisely measure what’s coming out and we can show ROI in three months in some industries.”
Clean coal, for instance, is dried by various means to reduce its moisture content so that users burn less for the same amount of energy. With a lot of money pouring into the clean coal industry, Ometric sees a growing opportunity there.
Kopsa says the company is currently exploring partnership opportunities with large companies to accelerate taking the technology to market.
Ometric investors include Sequoia Capital of Menlo Park, CA, and The Trelys Funds of Columbia, SC, AFT Ventures of Columbia, SC Launch! and the Allessandrini Family Trust.
Previously on TechJournal South: Ometric lights up with $980,000 raise.
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Online: www.Ometric.com
Southeast Venture Conference, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA – Where Smart Money Meets Smart People.
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