Lathrop, Janet

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices1-31-2002UNH Chemical Engineering Expertise HelpsJaffrey Match MakerJanet LathropFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationLathrop, Janet, "UNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match Maker" (2002). UNH Today. 2106.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/210610/20/17, 10(42 AMUNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match MakerPage 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/january/jl_20020131irc.htmlUNHIndustrialResearchCenter UNH Chemical EngineeringExpertise Helps Jaffrey MatchMakerBy Janet Lathrop UNH News BureauJanuary 31, 2001DURHAM, N.H. ‚ The largest manufacturer of paperbookmatches in the world, the D.D. Bean & Sons Co.of Jaffrey, last year identified a production-line dryingproblem that was creating a bottleneck, preventing thecompany from increasing efficiency by adding high-speed presses.But through a little match-making engineered by HenryMullaney, executive director of the Industrial ResearchCenter (IRC) at the University of New Hampshire, thecompany now is testing two new materials --compounds worked out in UNH's chemical engineeringdepartment -- which hold the promise of solving theproblem.The IRC provides technical assistance from UNH,Dartmouth College and other educational institutions tothe business community, helping companies to generatemore than $72 million in new sales over the past severalyears. When D.D. Bean & Sons ran into the roadblockover the drying time of friction -- the striking surface onits match books -- Mullaney saw an opportunity for aUNH-business partnership which would benefit both."What we have to offer is the knowledge and creativityof our faculty and students," he explains. "NewHampshire businesses appreciate that, and oureducational institutions are enriched by theconnections."For D.D. Bean & Sons, the IRC's interest in partneringworked like a charm, according to vice president AllenLeach. Through IRC, UNH professor of chemicalengineering P. T. Vasudevan visited the company and10/20/17, 10(42 AMUNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match MakerPage 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/january/jl_20020131irc.html agreed to take on the challenge to cut friction dryingtime. Mullaney helped the company apply for an IRCtechnical assistance grant to support laboratoryresearch."Henry also visited us and kept in touch all through theprocess," Leach recalled. "He was very helpful andmade it easy to apply." An agreement for sharing costsbetween IRC and D.D. Bean was drawn up.Back in his UNH laboratory, Vasudevan designed anumber of polymer chemistry experiments -- carriedout by chemical engineering student Alison DuPont ofWhitefield, N.H. -- to address the drying problem. TheUNH team came up with two promising new materials,says Vasudevan, to improve the striking surface and dryit much faster than the old mixture. "They are not in useyet, but they perform well in the laboratory and weexpect to be able to work the kinks out when we test iton a larger scale," he adds. Production-line tests areunderway this winter.Most important for D.D. Bean & Sons, the newtechniques should reduce drying time from two minutesto about 30 seconds. Leach is extremely pleased withthis result and very impressed with IRC's process. "Wedon't have a full-time chemist on staff, and even if wedid, he or she might not have been able to accomplishthe things that P.T. and Alison did for us," Leach says."We could also have spent a whole lot more money," headds. "But IRC and UNH offered an affordable,economical solution. It's a very good program."Vasudevan, noting that most universities do not offersuch rich research opportunities to undergraduates, saysthat "it is really wonderful for UNH students to get thisgreat experience, to be exposed to a practical researchproblem this way."Since its creation in 1992, the IRC has had an estimated$200 million impact on the state's economy in just thisway -- one company at a time. "We seldom produceovernight fixes," Mullaney says, adding that sometimesthree years may pass before IRC and its businesspartners can point to real results. "But we get very goodresults when they do come in. We average one new jobfor every $2,300 spent by IRC."10/20/17, 10(42 AMUNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match MakerPage 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/january/jl_20020131irc.htmlMullaney points out that research and development, andtechnology transfer are highly leveraged investments."A Rand study showed a typical return of more than 20times for companies who invest in research anddevelopment," he says. To date, state and companyinvestment in the IRC Technical Assistance Grants --which provide companies with matching funds for R &D projects and assistance from UNH faculty -- exceed$7.8 million. For more information on the IRCprogram, contact Mullaney at 862-0123.Back to UNH News Bureau

UNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match Maker

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UNH Chemical Engineering Expertise Helps Jaffrey Match Maker

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