ROBERT M. MEHALSO, Ph.D.
39 Emerald Hill Circle
Fairport, New York 14450

SUMMARY
Over thirty-five years of management experience in academia and industry in research, engineering, manufacturing, business development, and operations emphasizing process development, fabrication, and implementation of micro/nano/biosystems. Experienced in strategy, planning, commercialization, and funding of programs, products, and companies. I have been successful in a wide variety of management, technical, business, and venture activities internationally in the areas of micro/nano/biosystems.

EXPERIENCE
Microtec Associates—Fairport, New York
President
Microtechnology and nanotechnology consulting for over one hundred companies in the medical, biotechnology, telecommunications, automotive and business equipment industries. Provide business and commercialization strategy from concept though production utilizing micro and nanotechnologies and micro and nano manufacturing processes to miniaturize, integrate, and assemble products. Provide advisory support to senior management in industry, universities, and governments on the development of micro/nano/biotechnology commercialization strategy. Provide analysis and due diligence for new business development, reorganizations, mergers, and acquisitions.

MiniFAB—Melbourne, Australia
Advisor, Business Development—USA
Provide strategic direction and planning for facilities, equipment, and business models. Develop commercialization strategies for clients, as well as positioning for investment funding and exits.

New Hill Management—Boston, Massachusetts and London, England
Partner
Provide technology and marketing due diligence on physical science-based companies. Develop product and manufacturing strategies with portfolio companies to enhance exit valuation.

Full Circle Investments—Erie, Pennsylvania
Partner
Provide technology, product, and marketing due diligence for potential investments. Participate in fund-raising activities by communication of investment opportunities with investors.

Oxford Biosensors, Ltd.—Oxford, England
Executive Chairman
Provide strategic planning, corporate governance, cost control, and organizational structuring in a biotech diagnostic company. Form relationships and develop agreements with product development and marketing partners and with the international investment community.

Kionix, Inc.—Ithaca, New York
Vice President, New Business Development
Develop new business opportunities and establish the pathway to commercialization for MEMS, micro, and nanosystems-based products. Negotiate agreements and transfer technology from research institutions, develop product manufacturing strategies, and develop marketing partners.

Ardesta, LLC—Ann Arbor, Michigan
Senior Vice President, Technology and Business Development
Chief Technology Officer
Co-founded Ardesta as a microsystems and nanosystems industry accelerator. Accelerate the industry through the establishment of a $100 million venture capital fund, media operations (website, trade journal—“Small Times”), and a micro/nano start-up incubator. Responsible for aggregating, prioritizing, licensing, transferring, and commercializing intellectual property. Work with universities and research institutes to identify potential new products and markets around which to fund new start-up companies and businesses. Manage microfabrication facilities and provide management expertise to start-up companies. Negotiate manufacturing and marketing agreements with partners.

DT Industries—Rochester, New York
Vice President, Business and Technology Development
Chief Technical Officer
Provide the vision and develop markets for microassembly/packaging and test automation equipment. Recommend and develop technologies and manufacturing approaches to integrated product design and microassembly/packaging for corporate clients. Focus on the integration of electronic and mechanical systems to reduce size and cost of the product and the automated assembly equipment. Develop businesses around unique, integrated, high-volume microtechnology products.

AMTX, Inc.—Canandaigua, New York
Founder, Executive Vice President, and General Manager
Established AMTX, Inc. as the world’s first microfabrication/packaging business and the vision to capitalize on the microfabrication philosophy to build small, precise parts and assemblies. Directed design and build of new 85,000 sq. ft. clean environment facility. Established Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Marketing functions. Developed capabilities in hybrid electronics, precision injection molding, photolithography, electroforming, silicon micromachining (MEMS), and microassembly. Directed new business development activities for large corporate accounts. Developed marketing strategies for the business machines, automotive, medical, and communications industries. The company grew to 200 employees in four years and was acquired.

Developed unique micromanufacturing processes utilizing photolithography and electroforming and implemented a just-in-time process to produce in excess of 20 million fuel injection nozzle structures per year (90% cost reduction).
Developed high-tolerance processes for silicon chip handling, dicing, wirebonding, ultrasonic welding, adhesive bonding, automated microassembly, and ink filling and automated productiom to produce a complete and packaged ink-jet print head every eight seconds.
Developed miniaturized, integrated medical and biotechnology devices including blood analysis, catalytic sterilization, infusion pumps, and microfluidic delivery systems and built an FDA-certified manufacturing facility.

Xerox Corporation—Rochester, New York
Manager, Advanced Micromanufacturing Technology
Directed technical and business strategies for developing and implementing manufacturing processes for the cost-effective production of electronic marking and imaging systems.
Identified manufacturing/materials cost opportunities, developed research proposals, showed feasibility, developed processes, designed and built manufacturing facilities, and implemented into production.

Directed a staff of managers, engineers, and bargaining unit personnel in fabrication/materials research, process development, model shop, assembly, testing, and manufacturing operations.
Developed micro and nanofabrication approaches for precision parts and electronic components utilizing technologies such as photofabrication, electrochemistry, hybrid electronic assembly, and thin film deposition to build ink-jet and electronic scanning systems.
Set up an integrated, closed-loop, CAD/CAM approach for precision parts fabrication including mold design and build (polymer. casting. powdered metal), measurement control, and parts processing. Recognized as one of the most complete CAM operations in the country.
Developed and implemented a unique, high-volume manufacturing cell with parts fabrication, assembly, and packaging fully integrated and automated.
Established industrial laser development pilot facility. Implemented the production of laser foam roll cutting, laser hardening of metals, polymer belt perforation, and polymer cutting (average cost reduction of 50%). Recognized as one of the broadest laser manufacturing activities in the world.
Introduced diamond machining for precision parts manufacture. Implemented a manufacturing cell concept. Cut part cost by 80% with increased reliability and reduced service costs.
Instituted flow forming of metal for tube production. Reduced part cost by 60% and increased service life.

RCA Corporation, Consumer Electronics—Indianapolis, Indiana
Engineering Leader, Department of Engineering and Development
Transferred coating processes from research laboratories and implemented into production—process and equipment development of high-speed, continuous production vacuum system for thin film coating of metals, dielectrics, and lubricants onto optical storage discs (CD-ROM/DVD). Most complex high-volume, continuous vacuum manufacturing system known at that time.

Specification, design, construction, and staffing of materials characterization facility for the analysis of polymers, electroforms, and thin films by Auger, scanning electron and infrared spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence, ellipsometry, and other state-of-the-art surface analysis techniques. Enabled sophisticated quality control program for the optical storage disc.

RCA Corporation, David Sarnoff Research Center—Princeton, New Jersey
Member of Technical Staff, Process and Applied Materials Research Laboratory
Investigation of unique fabrication/materials approaches associated with high-density storage information media known as optical storage discs, which later became the CD-ROM/DVD.

Established lithographic processing requirements utilizing electron beam and photosensitive resist materials.
Studied the effects of resins and additives on the properties of compression and injection molded plastics. Developed and implemented polymer molding manufacturing processes using new material combinations.
Designed and built an optical disc testing facility. Allowed timely development of statistical quality database.
Developed sputtering, evaporation, and plating processes on polymers with dielectrics, metals, and unique lubricants.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—Troy, New York
Faculty Member, Research Associate, Department of Materials Engineering
Developed a low-cost vapor deposition process for producing high-modulus boron filaments for composite applications. Produced the strongest known man–made material. Work was awarded the Industrial Research 100 Award as one of the top 100 Industrial Research achievements for 1970.

Studied low temperature viscosity and structural characteristics of glasses, creep and residual stress in carbon and other materials, electrical and mechanical properties of composites and glass/ceramic/metal bonding, and interfacial reactions.

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