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Millanyangle
2000
cutter
THE COURIER NEWS
Business
THE
INVENTOR
For 16 years Russell Mueller (left) has owned R.M. Tool & Mfg.
Co., Inc. in Elgin with his son, Paul, (right) by his side most of
those years. Paul, who is vice president of the company, has
recently invented a revolutionary type cutting tool.
Carbide indexable End Mill, the newly developed
tool for milling steel is "the world's first that can cut at any
angle eliminating tool change and set ups," said inventor Paul Mueller.
INVENTOR
Now that a prototype of the
Millanyangle 2000 is
a reality, Mueller has started marketing it to distributors
who would then sell the component to tool makers
around the world.
"I've been in touch with a
company in japan that is
very interested," he said, "Also, several
large tool
manufacturers in the United States have called."
Furthermore, Mueller has been contacted by a rep-
representative from Fermi National Laboratory in Batavia,
which has its own machine shop.
Profits would be reinvested
Mueller's father added that word
seems to be
spreading through the industry about the Milllanyangle.
"It might be something really
special," he said.
So far, the invention has cost the father-and-son
team more than $25,000--a sum, they believe, that is but a decimal
point in the tool's long-range earning potential.
"It's too early to tell exactly how much
money the Millanyangle might generate," said Mueller.
"But one large order might get the ball
rolling on a substantial--and I mean substantial--profit for us."
Mueller then paused for a moment, as if to
envision a Millanyangle in every machine shop.
Nevertheless, most of whatever gain is made will
go back into the business, he added.
"My dad has done a lot for me, so I figure
we're partners in this whole thing. Besides, a lot of his
experience and advice went into all that I did."
In addition, Mueller is already thinking about his
next invention.
"Like I said, I'm always looking to improve things."
In fact, Mueller added with a smile, his wife
thinks he might be a bit obsessed.
"When I get an idea, I have a tendency to
forget about everything else."
With the Millanyangle 2000, for instance, it was
as if the idea had taken over Mueller's life. "Like I
would never be normal again until the invention was finished,"
he said.
Rather than obsession, some might call that sacrifice.
By George Rawlinson / Special to the Courier News
Successful inventors look at problems as
opportunities. They believe that with each obstacle comes a
chance to find or create a solution.
Historically, American ingenuity
has risen not from faceless corporations, but from diligent men and
women - real people like Paul Mueller who went looking, so to speak,
for a better mousetrap.
"Even in high school, I was
always thinking about how to do things better, easier and
faster," said the enthusiastic 33-year-old Hoffman Estates
resident whose father, Russell, is owner/operator of R.M. Tool and
Manufacturing Co., Inc. on Bluff City Boulevard in Elgin.
"I sort of grew up in this
place," said Mueller as he walked through the building where his
father set up shop 16 yeas ago.
Although the business has expanded considerably
since it first opened, that expansion may soon pale on comparison if
the Millanyangle 2000, on which Mueller has a patents pending, is successful.
The invention, which debuted in December,
represents more than a year of working late into the night, using
hands and imagination to come up with the world's first carbide
indexable end mill that can cut at any angle.
"Basically, it's a cutting tool for the
milling machines that shape steel," said Mueller, whose
invention is to be used in computerized equipment.
That shaped steel is then used to construct the
tools that are employed when assembling a variety of consumer
products. "'The invention has particular applications in the
automotive field," said Mueller. "But its use can be
extended to almost anything that is made by machine."
Tool makers show interest
Mueller hit upon the idea for the innovative
cutter after having to increase prices because of time requirements
on several goods manufactured at R.M.
"My father's machinery is state-of-the-art,
yet wee were in danger of losing a portion of our business because it
was necessary to constantly change cutting bits after each task,"
Mueller explained.
If a single insert were available, Mueller
thought, he would be able to eliminate the down time involved in
changing cutters.
And in business. of course, time is money.
By having one multi-angled cutter, any machine
task can be accomplished without having to unload the tool going
produced until completion.
"It's not as complicated as it sounds,"
said Mueller.
"In a nutshell, what i did was to combine a
dozen cutters into one."