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Llano IDEA Lab LLC was established in order to stimulate and foster the development of small commercial enterprises that can operate within and to the benefit of our community in Llano.

The IDEA Lab meets at least once each month – usually at the Llano ISD Tech Center. At our last meeting on Thursday, January 12, Frank Rowell – a member of the IDEA Lab and proprietor of Enchanted Rocks and Jewelry on the Courthouse Square – demonstrated a piece of equipment developed by IDEA Lab members.

When sawing rocks into slices, oil is used to cool the saw and prolong the life of the saw blade. This oil soon becomes loaded with rock dust and turns into a viscous sludge that is difficult and extremely messy to remove from the sump of the rock cutting saw.

Recognizing that there are thousands of people throughout the USA who face a similar problem, Frank enrolled the creativity and expertise of IDEA Lab members to develop equipment that would solve the difficulty.

Affectionately referred to as the ‘Sludge Sucker’, the device attaches to a vacuum cleaner or shop-vac, which provides the suction. Within the Sludge Sucker the messy sludge is separated out and deposited in the sludge reservoir at the base of the unit. This ensures that only clean, sludge-free air passes on to the vacuum cleaner.

In order to prove the effectiveness of the idea, a first prototype was developed using scraps of pipe and tubing with a parts outlay of less than $1. From this, a production prototype was built that Frank has been using in his shop to clean the sludge out of his rock saw.

Having established that the unit is effective, Frank has now gone into production and will begin marketing the product at the Fredericksburg Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show that is held January 21-22 at the Ladybird Johnson Municipal Park, 3 miles south of Fredericksburg, Texas on Highway 16.

This is a product that is developed and manufactured locally. We believe that it has the potential to provide a worthwhile revenue stream for Enchanted Rocks and Jewelry. The members of Llano IDEA Lab LLC are proud to have been involved in the development of this product.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Llano IDEA Lab please email us at info@llanoidealab.com. We will be happy to include you on our email list and welcome you to our future meetings.