InnoMatica

Overview

Founded by ANGLE in 2006, InnoMatica has secured valuable IP that is set to revolutionise the $1.2 billion per annum global market for percussive power tools by reducing operator exposure to vibration. Vibration reduction is a major issue for tool users and manufacturers due to health concerns, litigation and recent legislation. Current solutions offer unsatisfactory reductions in vibration levels, often at the cost of tool productivity. InnoMatica breaks this design trade-off, significantly reducing vibrations and actually increasing productivity. Launched early in 2006, InnoMatica is already receiving positive reviews from the industry and is moving towards licensing its technology to major tool manufacturers.

Background

InnoMatica’s Variable Mass Technology (VMtechnologyTM) has been developed over 10 years by a team of leading engineers and academics from the University of Cambridge.
VMtechnologyTM works through the rapid, bi-directional transfer of fluid between a reservoir within the tool and a separate, trolley-mounted vessel. The tool is therefore at its heaviest while working and at its lightest while handling.
VMtechnologyTM reduces tool vibration to a level that allows a single operator to use a powerful percussive power tool without any reduction in performance for up to four times longer than existing products. This not only removes the need for time limits or power reduction, but also provides the operator with a tool that is much safer and easier to use.

Market opportunity

Power tool users are seeking tools that offer significantly lower levels of vibration without a reduction in productivity. This issue is being driven by health concerns relating to excessive vibration, such as the debilitating medical condition Vibration White Finger (VWF). These concerns have led to both substantial litigation and new legislation.

In 2001, over 35% of employers’ liability insurance claims were for Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). The Health and Safety Executive estimates that there are around 300,000 sufferers in the UK of VWF, the most common form of HAVS, with around 2 million people regularly exposed to high levels of vibration. Costs of settling a single VWF claim can exceed £200,000.  New European and UK legislation, introduced in 2005, now binds employers to specific limits on employee exposure to vibration in the workplace.

Website: www.innomatica.com

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