HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that LiquidPiston of Bloomfield is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” LiquidPiston was founded in 2004 by father-and-son duo Dr. Nikolay Shkolnik and Dr. Alexander Shkolnik after the pair invented the high-efficiency hybrid cycle (HEHC) and initial HEHC engine designs. Today, LiquidPiston develops compact, high-powered, and fuel-efficient engines that can be used in power-tools, handheld lawn tools, portable generators, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, aviation, and other applications. LiquidPiston employs 17 workers and operates out of a 6,000 square foot facility fully equipped with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, dynamometer/test cells, and other instruments. The Bloomfield company is currently hiring for several engineering positions. They also offer internships to students interested in manufacturing and engineering.

LiquidPiston’s new “X” engine is up to two times more fuel efficient than a gasoline engine, and up to 10 times smaller and lighter than a diesel engine. LiquidPiston recently won a $3 million Rapid Innovation Fund award from the U.S. Army to develop an engine for the Howitzer M777 Digital Fire Control System. In the last several months, LiquidPiston also received a $2.5 million award from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to continue development of a rotary engine, as well as a $25,000 award for being named the winner of Sikorsky’s 7th Entrepreneurial Challenge. LiquidPiston currently has 27 patents issued or pending.

“The LiquidPiston team is injecting high-tech engineering and design into precision manufacturing, and people are taking notice,” said Murphy. “My office is here to help them however we can.”

Alec Shkolnik, PhD, Founder & CEO of LiquidPiston, said, "LiquidPiston is a multi-discipline, engineering- and testing-intensive business developing high-performance hardware.  We've been fortunate to have access to precision machine shops and suppliers in Connecticut, as well as being able to attract key engineering talent and local investors."

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,600 manufacturers account for 10% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act. 

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