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article Written for bangor daily news and national engineers week

Quietly tucked away in Sanford, Maine, there hides a small research and development (R&D) company that specializes in the design and development of advanced engines, vehicles, and other thermal and structural concepts comprised of advanced composite materials:   Applied Thermal Sciences, Inc. (ATS).  Just glancing at the unassuming ATS headquarters when driving by, one might be able to imagine engineers working away on computers at their desks, but would never guess that it houses two engineering research labs, a supercomputer developed under a U.S. Army initiative, a modular test facility for bench testing of rocket propulsion components, and a concrete reinforced propulsion test cell for testing solid propellants in rocket thrusters, nozzles, and boosters and other propulsion systems.

Incorporated in 1998, ATS is led by its president and a graduate of the University of Maine, Karl Hoose.  Hoose’s experience and interest in advanced propulsion research led him to develop ATS as an informal and creative environment conducive to truly innovative technological developments and high productivity.  ATS’ team includes thirteen systematically selected engineers, with credentials ranging from bachelor to doctoral degrees.  This group aggressively pursues top of the line engineering development ranging from testing rocket valves and new engine designs to developing fully automated laser welding machines for military and commercial applications.

An initial glimpse into one of ATS’ labs might show what seem to be a group of engineers in lab coats looking like mechanics assembling some kind of donut-shaped structure attached to a computer via an intricate train of wires.  Further conversation with the engineers leads to the discovery that they are in fact testing out a new internal combustion engine prototype. This new engine, the HiPerTEC, has just been patented by ATS and a second generation HiPerTEC prototype is currently in fabrication at ATS’ in-house machine shop facilities.  

The HiPerTEC engine, whose development is currently funded by the US Navy, is designed to be made of composite materials that reduce weight significantly when compared to a traditional piston engine design.  The Navy was looking for small watercraft supported by engines that offer higher performance and lower weight than those currently commercially available.  The HiPerTEC, with the implementation of lightweight hybrid-composite materials, boasts the ability to provide a smaller, lighter weight, higher power engine than its competitors, an eye-catching combination for the Navy.

The HiPerTEC program is only one of a number of efforts funded through government contracts at ATS.  The Hybrid Laser-Welding program is another.  While many high tech R&D companies can find themselves locked into the limitations provided by government contracting, ATS is taking the lessons learned and experience from its research to the next step:  the commercial market and technology as it applies to the real world.  

Housed in the Composite Technology Center of Sanford, just a mile away from ATS’ headquarters, is ATS’ Advanced Laser Manufacturing Center.  This facility is home to one of the largest carbon dioxide lasers in the U.S. The capabilities of this twenty-five kilowatt laser include welding, shaping, cutting and cladding.  It is the ideal resource for R&D, advanced commercial and military manufacturing applications, and the development of advanced welding techniques.

Using this laser in conjunction with a gas-metal arc welder, ATS has developed a laser welding system which has the capacity to support welding at speeds of six hundred inches per minute.  By comparison, human or other automated welding competitors only weld up to around one hundred inches per minute.  ATS is currently expanding this system to be smart enough to weld many shapes and structures on its own.

While initially developed for naval applications, similar benefits and cost savings are applicable in the commercial sector.  Leading local, national, and international commercial customers have shown interest in ATS’ laser welding system.  The nearest attention comes from the Maine Department of Transportation, which finds laser-welded sandwich panels as a direct substitute for open steel grid bridge decking for truck load-limited applications, such as historic bridge deck replacements and movable bridge decks, an alluring alternative.  While initial efforts have focused on laser welding, potential areas for further research for ATS’ Advanced Laser Manufacturing Center also include advanced materials processing, blanking, and several applications in the aerospace, aircraft, and shipbuilding industries.

At ATS one finds not only true creativity, but an aggressive team of engineers and business developers who have a strong personal interest in the success of their work and the success of their clients.  In the seven years since its incorporation ATS has grown from two employees to twenty-two and has had a fantastic ride along the way.

“Having the right team of people to create the ATS type of work environment provides the motivation to be very creative, and it’s our creativity that provides the right solutions to our customer’s needs,” says Hoose.