Lab components prove lucrative for metalworks firm

Mactaquac plant sees sales grow 400% in the past year

By Khalid Malik Telegraph-Journal

Precision Metal Works Ltd. "appears to be becoming a darling of US-based National Laboratories," says company president David Rioux.

If the Mactaquac company's growth is any indication the statement is true.

Spokeswoman Pam Allen-LeBlanc, vice-president sales, said Precision Metal has grown "400 per cent over the last one year." Its employment increased from 20 to 30 and the company is now looking for another 22 people, she said.

The company is also in the process of adding another building that would increase its size by at least one-third, she said.

Located 35 kilometres north of Fredericton, Precision Metal is shipping today a target chamber to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, Calif. The laboratory officials did the final inspections in Mactaquac Thursday on this key component of their Titan laser system, Mrs. Allen-LeBlanc said.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a U.S. national security laboratory, with a mission to ensure national security and apply science and technology to the important issues like energy.

The laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

The target chamber is almost three metres in diameter and stands about two metres and there is an "optical bench" inside.

This new, short-pulse laser will open up a new world of research following the groundbreaking capabilities of the former Nova petawatt laser.

The Nova laser (which was housed at LLNL) was the biggest laser in the world before the National Ignition Facility was built at Livermore National Laboratory, the company said.

When complete, Titan will be the laboratory's first combined long-pulse and ultrashort-pulse laser. It is one of only three petawatt-class lasers in the world. The others are in the United Kingdom and Japan. The equipment will be employed in energy research, she said.

Mrs. Allen-LeBlanc wouldn't say how much was the contract worth. "It was a significant project," she said.

"This is not the first project Precision Metal has completed for the prestigious US laboratory.

Nor is it the last" Mr. Rioux said in a statement.

"We have received recent orders from the Laboratory though they are of lesser magnitude than this complex project.

This indicates to me that the Laboratory likes what it sees in our organization.

"I think they like working with us" Mr. Rioux said. "We are flexible, professional and do our best to deliver a quality product on time".

Mrs. Allen-LeBlanc said the company has two other contracts worth almost $4 million on the books. Precision Metal is doing the design work for a $3 million SEQUOIA project for Oakridge National Laboratory.

The project consists of building components of spatial filters.

The work is already going on another $1 million project for the University of Rochester Laser Laboratory.

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