Mower Blade Manufacturer Announces Multi-Million Dollar Lab Expansion

The Fisher-Barton Group of Companies (Watertown, WI), including Accurate Specialties, Inc. and Thermal Spray Technologies Inc., announced the groundbreaking of an 1,800 sq ft addition to the materials laboratory within its Fisher-Barton Specialty Products division located in Watertown. Fisher-Barton is traditionally known for manufacturing wear resistant lawn mower blades, bed knives, disk mower blades and corn stalk blades.

The new lab will serve as a group-wide resource for all five Fisher-Barton divisions to continue to drive ongoing materials and processing innovations. The expansion is expected to be completed by March 31, 2011.

The new multi-million dollar advanced materials lab will feature a state-of-the-art electron microscope and chemical analysis equipment. Additionally, a large part of the expansion will be dedicated to the mechanical and physical testing of new advanced materials. A major focus of the lab will be to further advance the group's surface engineering technologies in a wide variety of markets.

Founded in 1973 by metallurgist Richard Wilkey, the Fisher-Barton Group of Companies have used their materials expertise to become a world leader in the manufacture of high-value components for mission-critical applications in a variety of markets including solar power, outdoor power equipment, agricultural equipment, medical device and power transmission.

"Our current materials lab has been the incubator for the advanced performance components that we have developed for our customers for the past 37 years. It has also directly led to the development of our 16 materials-related patents," states metallurgist and Fisher-Barton Group vice president Jeff Russell. "We are excited that our past successes have allowed us to make this large investment and have no doubt that the new lab will lead to even greater advances in our materials and coating technologies."

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www.fisher-barton.com