
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 13, 1994                   TAG: 9409140069
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SYNCHRONYINC., ENGINE MAKER FORGE AGREEMENT

Synchrony Inc., which has offices in Roanoke County and Salem, on Monday announced an agreement with Allison Engine Co. Inc. of Indianapolis to jointly develop, manufacture and market magnetic-bearing systems for gas turbine engines and other rotating machinery.

Synchrony was started a year and a half ago by Victor Iannello in Roanoke County. The company now has five employees including Iannello, company president.

The agreement with Allison was the result of contracts that Synchrony has with NASA and the Air Force, Iannello said. Allison is a privately owned company that was a former division of General Motors Corp.

Magnetic bearings replace conventional oil-lubricated bearing systems with electromagnets and are recognized as a major advance in rotating machinery.

The magnetic bearings eliminate mechanical wear, increasing the lifetime and reliability of bearings, the two companies said in a prepared statement.

The bearings also can improve a machine's performance, because they can be adjusted electronically. This makes for a smoother, quieter-running machine and allows for higher speeds and operating temperatures.

"This is an important step for Synchrony and Allison," Iannello said. "This is a prime example of how a small technology company can collaborate with a large company with extensive resources to develop and commercialize new products."

The agreement with Allison is to develop the magnetic-bearing systems. Actual manufacture of the products is at least two years in the future, Iannello said.

Besides doing research on magnetic bearings, Synchrony sells industrial-control systems.

by CNB