AMI and Student Interns Help Company Increase Production Capacity with New Machine

(Manhattan, Kan., December 3, 2008) – More CrispyCones will be available thanks to the help of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University.

Conics, a company that develops CrispyCones, a healthy and edible container for food, received assistance from the Advanced Manufacturing Institute, also known as AMI, in the design and development of a new machine to increase its production capacity.

"A CrispyCone fits in the palm of your hand and can be filled with almost any food or dessert," said Jared Henry, product development specialist at the institute. "CrispyCones was created by Nir Adar, a New-York based chef and food designer. Adar has worked with companies such as Coca-Cola, Haagen-Dazs and Kraft Foods, and has been featured in publications such as Time magazine and Food Management, and has also appeared on 'Good Morning America.'"

"CrispyCones will forever change the way we look at meals on the go, with a new, fun alternative to traditional fast food," Adar said.

According to Henry, Conics came to K-State's Advanced Manufacturing Institute to increase the efficiency of its CrispyCones baking machine. The machine is now capable of producing a larger volume of cones per minute and has increased Conics' production capacity from 950 cones an hour to more than 3,000 cones an hour. The new machine also has the potential to be set up in a fully automated environment with the addition of a programmable logic controller that can monitor and control its functions.

"The Advanced Manufacturing Institute supplied great engineering solutions, was a pleasure to work with and delivered incredible results. AMI's dedicated and talented staff, together with some very smart, hardworking K-State students, put our small company on the road to success. We plan to continue working with AMI as our company grows," said Manny Kivowitz, managing director, Conics.

"The interns were involved in the design and manufacturing of the machine," Henry said. "Their ideas and hard work are apparent in the final product."

"While manufacturing the prototype, I was involved with material sourcing as well as part fabrication. This experience impressed upon me the importance of keeping the manufacturing process in mind during the design process," said Robert Debes, senior in mechanical engineering, Dodge City.