Technology Transfer Office Connects With Pennsylvania Company

The Technology Transfer Office has signed a non-exclusive license with M&A Screw and Machine Works of Philadelphia, for Marshall's Quick Connect Fastener.

The fastener, invented by Bruce Weddendorf, formerly of the Structures and Dynamics Laboratory, evolved from technology used in Pathfinder, a project dedicated to in-space assembly techniques. The fastener was designed for easy assembly in weightless aerospace environments.

The Philadelphia company, producer of conventional nuts and bolts, worked through the Ben Franklin Technology Center, also in Philadelphia, to negotiate the license. Ben Franklin, an economic development firm, works with companies seeking solutions through new technologies.

M&A Screw and Machine Works learned about the new technology from the Mid-Atlantic Technology Applications Center, a Regional Technology Transfer Center in Pittsburgh.

The design permits the nut to be installed simply by pushing it on to a standard bolt or threaded design. Once installed, it can be removed only by unscrewing it in the manner of a conventional nut. The bolt operates in a similar manner. It is installed by pushing it directly into the hole on a nut. It is unscrewed in the same manner as a conventional bolt.

The quick connect fastener technology can be used for fire fighting equipment, high compression gas bottles, underwater salvage equipment and in industrial applications such as assembly line machinery and industrial cranes.

M&A's expertise and standard automated equipment will allow the production of quick connect fasteners at its Philadelphia location.