From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

RACINE, WI -- In technology, there are incremental advances and there are blockbuster changes. Modine Manufacturing said Thursday it has achieved the latter with breakthroughs that can be used in ubiquitous products such as automotive radiators and air conditioner condensers.

The company, which builds engine radiators for cars and trucks, has developed cooling systems that use ultra-thin layers of aluminum to dissipate heat. The result is lighter and stronger products and could be less expensive to manufacture.

It's the kind of breakthrough that engineers live for, said Shajan John, director of professional education and research development at the Milwaukee School of Engineering's Applied Technology Center.

So far, Modine has applied for 26 patents on its latest advancements. At least 14 more patent applications are coming, and the first of the new products could reach the market in 2010, Modine executives said.

Modine believes it's one of the biggest developments for the 91-year-old company since the invention of the Spirex tractor-engine radiator Modine patented in 1916. It's also an example of how a midsize U.S. company can remain competitive on a global scale, said David Rayburn, company president and chief executive officer.

"There are a lot of smart people in the world, but I don't think anyone takes smart ideas and turns them into commercial opportunities better than Americans," Rayburn said.

Modine is involved in a variety of cutting-edge ventures. As part of its wide-ranging research and development, the company is designing components for fuel-cell cars. It's also developing a cooling system aimed at nuclear-powered spaceships.

But its latest breakthroughs are more down to earth.

Essentially, Modine has come up with cooling equipment made from paper-thin layers of aluminum where heat is dissipated by pumping coolant through the coils while air is circulated around the outside. The thin materials are stronger, perform better and are more corrosion resistant than thicker materials normally used in engine cooling systems, according to Modine engineers.

"It's very unusual. In my career, I have never seen anything like this … where you take a step forward in technology without giving something up," said Tony DeVuono, a Modine vice president and the company's chief technology officer.

The company has scheduled extensive field tests for the engine-cooling products, starting with commercial trucks.

"We have more work to do, but what we have seen so far is very encouraging," Rayburn said.

"This is definitely one of the company's top innovations, and it could be our No. 1 innovation," DeVuono said.

The idea stemmed from Werner Zobel, a Modine engineer in Germany, where the research into the technology is being conducted. In January 2006, Zobel was attending a Modine leadership conference at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While having coffee and doughnuts with DeVuono, he did a rough sketch of a novel cooling system on a notepad.

"For the first couple of minutes, I had no idea what he was talking about. It sounded crazy," DeVuono said.

The manufacturing methods Zobel proposed involved processes that didn't exist. It was "so far outside of the box," according to DeVuono, that company officials were skeptical.

Basically, the concept Zobel proposed was to create heat-exchange tubing with an internal honeycomb structure. The honeycomb gives the tubing inner structural strength, enabling the use of paper-thin outer walls and improving heat dissipation. The concept can be adapted across much of Modine's product line, from automotive radiators to air conditioning condensers.

Some technical problems remain, but a lot of progress has been made in 18 months.

"I have quit thinking that there are barriers or obstacles that will stop this," DeVuono said.

Modine had $1.8 billion in revenue last year. Worldwide, the company has 8,000 employees at 34 facilities in 15 countries.

Like many automotive suppliers, Modine has been hurt by the Big Three automakers' recent lackluster performance. The company also faces intense global competition for some products that have become a commodity.

"We needed something more revolutionary to break out of the old spiral of Chinese competition . . . where the company that has the lowest labor costs gets the business," said Charles Goodremote, Modine's global director of product and process development.

Normally, engine products such as radiators and oil coolers aren't as exciting as hydrogen fuel cells and nuclear-powered spaceships. But real-world applications for fuel cells could be years away, while Modine's latest technology is much closer to finding a home in the global marketplace.

"All of the heat exchangers in the world will probably use this technology someday. That's what is so profound about it," DeVuono said.

Copyright (c) 2007, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel