From Research to Innovation: Federal Minister Polaschek Visits JKU Spin-off Moldsonics

From Research to Innovation: Federal Minister Polaschek Visits JKU Spin-off Moldsonics

August 2023 | General, info@moldsonics.at

Another milestone in the development of our company Moldsonics was marked by the visit of the Austrian Federal Minister Martin Polaschek today. Our innovative company, which was substantially supported in the initial phase by the FFG Spin-off Fellowship Program 2017-21 of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research(BMBWF), demonstrates the successful transfer of research results into groundbreaking innovations.

Visit of Federal Minister Polaschek to Moldsonics

In the period from 2017 to 2021, the Spin-off Fellowship Program of the BMBWF has funded a total of 24 promising research projects, from which a remarkable 16 start-ups have emerged. One of these success stories is the founding of Moldsonics GmbH. Today, Federal Minister Martin Polaschek honored the company with his visit and once again emphasized the importance of the program:

"The impressive development of Moldsonics illustrates the significant contribution of the Spin-off Fellowship program to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation from research. It is precisely such success stories that show us how important and meaningful research funding based on research ideas is and that prove that every euro we invest in science and research is worthwhile," emphasizes the Federal Minister.

Visit of BM Polaschek at Moldsonics
Visit BM Polaschek
Moldsonics&ndashLogo
Besuch BM Polaschek<br />

Thomas Mitterlehner, one of the three founding members of Moldsonics, expressed his delight at the company's success: "The transition from the university research world to the world of entrepreneurship is undoubtedly a challenge. The support provided by the FFG Spin-off Fellowship program, as well as other advisory services such as tech2b, proved invaluable to us budding entrepreneurs. The opportunity to take our research to market in the form of real products forms the greatest appreciation for our application-oriented research results."

Moldsonics is proud to have established itself as an outstanding example of a JKU spin-off in the plastics industry. The visit by Federal Minister Polaschek underscores the importance and triumph of university spin-offs like Moldsonics, which make a significant contribution to Austria's innovation landscape.

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Regional Minister for Economic Affairs Achleitner presents Winner diploma from tech2b to Moldsonics

Regional Minister for Economic Affairs Achleitner presents Winner diploma from tech2b to Moldsonics

June 2023 | General, Awards, info@moldsonics.at

Moldsonics successfully completes the tech2b Incubate program and is presented with the Winner Diploma by Achleitner, the regional councilor for economic affairs.

We at Moldsonics are overwhelmed with joy as we have recently received the Winner Diploma of the tech2b Incubate program! The completion of this highly successful program means an incredible amount to us and we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and share our exciting journey with you.

In this blog post, we'd like to briefly share how the Incubate program has helped us realize our vision and how we plan to reach new heights with the tailwind of this award.

Achleitner presents the Winner diploma from tech2b

Photo: Province of Upper Austria / Andreas Krenn

The tech2b Incubate program has proven to be an amazingly rewarding experience for Moldsonics.

Through the program, we have not only received valuable feedback and coaching from high-caliber mentors, but we have also built valuable partnerships that have been instrumental in our success.

The opportunity to learn from experienced experts and connect with other promising startups has broadened our perspective and helped us reach our full potential.

Our gratitude goes out to everyone who has supported us on this exciting journey. Without the mentoring, detailed support and encouraging words of our supporters, this milestone for Moldsonics would not have been possible.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of them. The support has inspired us and strengthened our determination to develop innovative solutions and take our start-up to the next level.

tech2b winner diplom achleitner

Photo: Province of Upper Austria / Andreas Krenn

tech2b winner diplom achleitner 2

Photo: Province of Upper Austria / Andreas Krenn

The personal presentation of the Winner diploma by Achleitner, the regional councilor for economic affairs, represented the ceremonial conclusion of the program.

Although we have completed the tech2b Incubate program and received the Winner Diploma, our journey does not end here. We are more motivated than ever to continue to develop innovative solutions and move our company forward.

With tech2b's expertise behind us, we are ready to take on new challenges and continue to drive our growth. We are confident that we will achieve even greater success with our groundbreaking technologies and passionate teamwork.

In addition to Moldsonics, we would also like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Autonoma, Bergardi, CarbonCleanUp, Danube Dynamics, qapture, Sendance and Windpuls, who were also part of the tech2b Incubate program and impressed with their innovative ideas. It is inspiring to be part of a community of talented startups who are pushing the boundaries of what is possible together.

In closing, we would once again like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who is part of our success story. We are deeply grateful for your support and expectant of the exciting future ahead.

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Foundation of Moldsonics GmbH

Foundation of Moldsonics GmbH

June 2021 | General, Thomas Mitterlehner

Founder photo Moldsonics GmbH with the three founders

Last week, the time had finally come. After many months or years of preparatory work, Moldsonics GmbH was officially founded. The contracts are signed, the ink is dry and the team is more motivated than ever. Another important step that brings us closer to our goal of establishing ultrasonic sensor technology in the plastics industry.

A brief review: The foundations for ultrasonic sensor technology were laid back in 2010 with the research work of Bernhard Praher in the injection molding sector. Intensive research activities proved the enormous potential of this measuring method. Several publications, patents as well as awards followed. Among others, we were a finalist of the renowned Houskapreis in 2015. In 2017, the urge to commercialize the sensor technology became stronger and stronger, which is why we submitted to the Edison - Der Preis in 2017. The very positive feedback as well as the awarding of the silver prize gave our project another strong tailwind. With the subsequent acceptance into the Spin-off Fellowship of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), we were able to overcome the final technical hurdles and develop the first concepts for implementation.

We are currently in tech2b's scale-up program, which means we have a strong partner on board to build up our company. The sensor technology is currently being put through its paces at pilot customers and further improved. The first commercial ultrasonic sensor technology for the plastics industry should be available by the end of the year.

The founders Bernhard Praher, Klaus Straka and Thomas Mitterlehner say very loud THANK YOU to all who have accompanied and supported us on this path!

Here's to more successful years!

 

 

Inclusion in the tech2b scale-up program

Inclusion in the tech2b scale-up program

June 2021 | General, Thomas Mitterlehner

Logo-tech2b

It's done! We have been accepted into the scale-up program of the tech2b incubator!

At the beginning of 2021, we were in the pre-scale-up program, which was now coming to an end. In order to continue to enjoy the first-class support of tech2b, we had to face the awarding advisory board again and convince them of our idea.

With success! Last week we received the happy news that we were accepted.

Here is some information about the program:

This program supports technology-oriented and creative business as well as original or new ideas that are based on a rudimentary business model and offer scalability.

The following supports await us:

  • Half or one and a half years of support & strategic advice
  • 360° support
  • tech2b expert team & start-up consulting
  • Mentors from the business world
  • Extensive and customized training program
  • Extensive tech2b partner network
  • Financial support

 Further information is available here: tech2b Scale-up Program

 

We look forward to another 18 months of mentoring, coaching and startup spirit!

 

 

Moldsonics in Kepler Society Magazine

Moldsonics in Kepler Society Magazine

April 2021 | General, info@moldsonics.at

Moldsonics-Kepler-Society-Magazine_v2

Moldsonics is a spin-off project of the Institute of Polymer Injection Molding and Process Automation at JKU Linz. The three JKU graduates and founders of MoldSonics Bernhard Praher, Klaus Straka and Thomas Mitterlehner are an interdisciplinary team of plastics engineers, mechatronics engineers and measurement engineers with the aim of transferring state-of-the-art measurement methods from research to industrial applications. The focal points are divided into the two main processing methods in the plastics industry. These are the injection molding process and the extrusion process. Customized process solutions are offered for both areas. Specifically, the company manufactures ultrasonic-based sensor systems, which are installed in the respective machines. The use of these highly accurate sensors enables the optimization of the overall process as well as the reduction of plastic waste.

"In addition to the aforementioned 2nd place at the 2017 EDISON Prize, our concepts were previously honored at the 2015 Houskapreis by reaching the finals. However, the really most important success was the acceptance into the Spin-off Fellowship Program of the FFG and the BMBWF, which was newly launched in 2018."

INTERVIEW WITH JKU ABSOLVENT THOMAS MITTERLEHNER
How did the idea and concept for MoldSonics come about? At the Institute of Polymer Injection Molding and Process Automation, we have been working on ultrasound-based measurement technology for more than 10 years now in order to better understand plastics processing operations or to test and observe individual elements of the processing machines in operation. It became clear to us relatively quickly that these methods, which were developed purely for research and development, could also have great potential for industrial use. Initial ideas for the product concept and its commercialization were submitted to the 2017 EDISON Ideas Competition and awarded the silver prize in the technology-oriented idea category. This was certainly the initial spark for further serious considerations in the direction of a spin-off.

What exactly does your start-up do and what is special about your business idea?
Most plastics processing machines have two things in common: High pressures and high temperatures. We're talking about pressures up to several thousand bar and temperatures up to 350 °C. In order to measure properties such as pressure and temperature in these ranges, direct contact with the plastic melt is usually necessary. However, our patented ultrasonic sensor technology does not require direct contact with the melt, which clearly sets us apart from the current sensor market. At the respective measuring position, our sensors send ultrasonic pulses - through several centimeters of steel - in the direction of the plastic, and from the reflections we can then determine not only pressure and temperature but also the wear status of individual elements in the machine.  

What has been your biggest success so far?
In addition to the aforementioned 2nd place at the EDISON Prize 2017, our concepts were previously honored at the Houskapreis 2015 by reaching the finals. However, the really most important success was being accepted into the Spin-off Fellowship Program of the FFG and the BMBWF, which was newly launched in 2018. Here we were able to spend 18 months, with a sufficiently high level of funding, developing our prototypes and refining the business idea or strategy. At the beginning of this year, we were able to record another special success with our acceptance into the tech2b Pre-Scale-up.

What are the next steps and when will the product be on the market?
We are currently in the middle of the founding phase of the GmbH. This means that we are drawing up contracts, further refining our business model and fine-tuning our public image. The tech2b mentoring is proving to be very helpful here, since all three founders are rather technically versed and we sometimes lack a view of the economic aspects. In parallel, we are in constant exchange with our pilot customers to prepare our products for market entry, which is planned for the end of 2021.

 

... click here for the full issue of Kepler Society Magazine: Career News - April 2021 issue.

... here you can find our products: Products Moldsonics

Source: https://www.jku.at/jku-alumni/kooperationen/weitere-moeglichkeiten/karrierenews/

Visit of Landesrat Markus Achleitner

Visit of Landesrat Markus Achleitner

January 2019 | General, info@moldsonics.at

Moldsonic 2 land OOE Grilnberger scaled Moldsonics achleitner

Moldsonics as a trend-setting spin-off project at the Johannes Kepler University Linz

 

Markus Achleitner, State Councillor for Economics and Research, says: "Spin-offs are an ideal way to quickly make university research marketable. We want to further expand entrepreneurship in the university sector."

Those who make their research results usable as quickly as possible in the form of marketable innovations are ahead of the game. This is the case with Moldsonics, a spin-off of three researchers from Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), whose research innovation is making important improvements in the plastics industry possible. University spin-offs receive support not only from the state incubator tech2b, but also from the federal Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

 

"He or she who is first reaps the laurels. This is not only true in sports, but also in research. Therefore, as a successful business and science location, it is essential to transform research results into marketable innovations as quickly as possible. This was also emphasized by Prof. Dr. Teodoro Cocca as a key success factor for a region at last Friday's dialog on Upper Austria as a business location in Linz. The university spin-off Moldsonics is a prime example of how this can work," says Markus Achleitner, the provincial councilor for economics and research, referring to the successful university start-up.

The three researchers Bernhard Praher, Klaus Straka and Thomas Mitterlehner of JKU enable with their research results a non-contact inspection or measurement of parameters during the injection molding process in the plastics industry, which they make available to companies through their spin-off Moldsonics. "The non-contact measurement eliminates the high wear of conventional detectors due to friction and heat. This makes the injection molding process more economically efficient, ecologically better because less scrap is produced, and overall improved because more accurate measured values are available. The end product is better overall," says Landesrat Achleitner, outlining the multiple advantages of ultrasound-based measurement.

"Spin-offs are an agile and cost-effective way to turn research results into marketable innovations. We already support them now through our state incubator tech2b. Due to the excellent research performance at JKU, there is still a lot of potential for university spin-offs in Upper Austria. The new start-up platform 'Hub'ert' provides an additional service tool for potential founders," says Economics Provincial Councilor Achleitner, who wants to further strengthen spin-offs in Upper Austria.

The Austrian Federal Research Promotion Agency (FFG) also sees great potential in university spin-offs: Last year, for the first time, it awarded fellowships to support start-ups by researchers employed at the university. The program was endowed with a total of 15 million euros. The founders of Moldsonics were also able to benefit from this.

"The transition from a university research environment to entrepreneurship poses many challenges. Here, as a budding young entrepreneur, one is very grateful for consulting services and financial support such as the FFG Spin-off Fellowship. The greatest joy, of course, is to see one's own research in the form of products on the market - that is the greatest appreciation for application-oriented research results. My team and I are therefore very proud to have been awarded an FFG Spin-off Fellowship and are now in the process of positioning our product in a sustainable and strategically correct way. This new career path away from a purely scientific career is a win-win situation for both the university and the researchers involved," explains Bernhard Praher, one of the three founders of Moldsonics.

 

Source: https://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/225909.htm