High-tech nozzle maker to be honored
By Katie Young
Daily Freeman staff
10/19/2006
TOWN OF ULSTER - Sono-Tek Corp., a Milton-based business that has produced ultrasonic atomization nozzles and electronic systems for 31 years, will be honored as Ulster County Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce and the Ulster County Development Corp. this evening at Wiltwyck Golf Club.
Sono-Tek's technology reduces the amount of overspray compared to traditional nozzles that rely on strong amounts of velocity to release liquid. Sono-Tek's nozzle uses an imperceptible vibration to coerce the water through the nozzle, while atomization turns the drops into a vapor cloud of mist.
The effects of the nozzle are best understood by sticking one's hand under the titanium nozzle - a person's entire palm grows wet from a single drop of water because of the ultrasonic energy.
Christopher Coccio, the corporation's president and chief executive officer, said the future of the company lies in its environmentally-friendly power of saving water and reducing overspray of chemicals and other coating liquids.
"Our nozzle is different. It doesn't have a restriction, so it saves 80 percent of the liquid that's being used," Coccio said. "That's important; whether (you're) using water of other liquids, you don't want to use more than you (have) to for the cost and environmental reasons."
The technology was first applied to the electronics industry through lubricating systems for printed circuit boards. The limited scope initially sent Sono-Tek into debt, but the corporation began applying the nozzle to the medical, industrial and nanotechnological sectors, and adopted a more global outlook for its clientele.
The company's sales have more than doubled since 2003, and it opened its first international office in China in September.
Coccio said the Business of the Year award is "an excellent recognition of the work that our employees have done to create a growing global business."
He said the company's coating machines for cardiovascular stents are in high demand among pharmaceutical companies, and that sheet metal and glass producers appreciate Sono-Tek's Wide Track System, which lubricates glass and textiles with protective layers.
Coccio said the cost of the average Sono-Tek nozzle runs to $6,000 with its accompanying electronics, while an entire Wide Track System can cost more than $100,000. |
