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Varient Precision is a technical consulting firm based in Madison, Wisconsin. We specialize in materials process consulting, mechanical design, measurement, analysis, and materials characterization.

In today's uncertain economy, engineering and research budgets are under pressure. This can make it difficult to build staff and hire engineers with expertise in new areas that your firm may want to move into. With limited staff it becomes more difficult to explore new engineering ideas or pursue the next set of opportunities that comes along. Frozen hiring or even shrinking staff numbers nearly always make the work-load more difficult-often the same work needs to be done, but many are stretched too thin to devote enough time to the new project. Perhaps you should consider Varient Precision. We can come into your site and immediately provide needed support your new or ongoing projects. Our simple belief is that no technical challenge is too great, anything can be built or rebuilt, and processes can always be improved. As an independent outside consultant, Varient Precision can quickly and efficiently focus only on the problem at hand, bypassing issues of hiring approval or other corporate overhead.

Our Approach

Some say that engineering is more about getting it to work— less about understanding the theory and more about the ‘know-how’ that comes from the real experience of making and doing. Others say that engineering is more about understanding the fundamentals and modeling— only when you ‘know-why’ the process works can you avoid blind trial-and-error guessing and make real progress. Who to believe?

For those of us who have spent time on both sides, we see that both approaches in equal measure are needed. Simultaneous and cooperative effort, whether it’s in design/manufacturing, theory/experiment, or even modeling/prototyping is the best way to engineer successful new ideas and objects. This is the philosophy behind Varient Precision— do both— learn all there is to know about the system as you pull up your sleeves and dig into it. Varient Precision’s principal and founder, John Leonard, has a dual background in Materials Science and Mechanical engineering with over 25 years of experience in these fields. His work has always involved this dual approach:

Know-How ·Mechanical design and development of commercial products and advanced experimental devices for scientific research ·Three years project and process engineering in manufacturing ·12 years experimentation and development of materials processes ·15 years fabrication experience working with metals, wood, and technical ceramics.

Know-Why ·BS Mechanical Engineering (MIT) ·Ph.D. Materials Science (Columbia Univ.) ·15 years research in thin films, surface physics, and phase transformations in materials ·6 years teaching fundamentals of heat and mass transport, thermodynamics and kinetics ·15 years numerical modeling by deterministic and stochastic methods ·Publications in a wide array of scientific and engineering journals.

Let Us Help You

Varient Precision provides unique services and consultation that draws on experience from a broad range of advanced technologies and a driven, hands-on approach that is ideal for finding answers and getting results-quickly. Here are some ways that Varient Precision can help your organization right now:

• Get that lagging project moving. Bring in someone that can concentrate full-time on the problem and advance it to the point where it can be handed off to someone else on your staff.
• Investigate that new process you have been thinking about. Let us quickly help find out what the capabilities, limitations and costs may be. We can even help set up pilot runs or other tests to see if it's something you really want to pursue further.
• Set up that new equipment that was delivered but is still in the crates. Bring us on to rapidly install, configure, and calibrate it, so that your staff doesn't have to waste time on it. We can stay on to help train your staff, make the first runs, or even provide longer term technical support if needed.
• Fill in for that person who has been tasked to another project. We can also act as a liaison between multiple groups in the project that need to work together on a common design.
• Get a few extra hours in the day. Temporarily bring on someone who can provide knowledgeable support in your ongoing project. Someone with a proven ability to deliver quality work-where you are confident it is done properly the first time and every time.

Working with Varient Precision, LLC is also easy. We are fully insured and can provide one-time, short-term, or long-term contracting. Our involvement can be on-site, in the field, or even internet-only. You will find our rates are quite reasonable, far below what you think a consultant usually charges. Depending on the type of service and expertise that you need, it may even be cheaper than what you are paying your current staff. Contact Varient Precision today, we offer a free initial consultation using email or our convenient and confidential quick-quote form if you wish. Just briefly tell us about your particular engineering need and we will promptly email a response detailing what help we can provide, along with an estimated rate. There is no obligation, and on one will call or try to sell you anything that you don't need or want. We look forward to hearing from you.