About Spratronics and Fred Oligschaelager

Spratronics and Fred Oligschaelager, the Father of Variable Orifice Spray Nozzles.

Many of the control and calibration systems we expect to see in our highway work trucks were first created and perfected by Fred Oligschlaeger, founder and president of Spratronics.  Nearly every truck involved in spreading and spraying, winter or summer, benefits from his quest to make highway and contractor equipment calibrate accurately to the levels of service desired.

Here are some of his innovations introduced in the last 35 years:

• First electronic spreader controls to accurately meter discharge of salt and abrasives.
• First electronic sprayer controls to accurately control agriculture sprayers.
• First calibrated chemical injection sprayers for roadside vegetation management.
• First variable orifice nozzles to maintain calibrated spraying over the wide range of speeds needed for anti-icing/de-icing, prewetting and agricultural sprayers.
• First zero velocity spraying systems. This method aims the spray stream backwards to the forward motion of the truck, eliminating traffic disrupting fogging while accurately placing spray streams on 1, 2 or 3 lanes at any speed.
• First boomless spraying system, lowering  potential for accidental equipment damage and less equipment maintenance.

Spratronics, Inc. is a Washington State Corporation that serves a worldwide market. Initially it manufactured sprayers for weed control. Anti-icer/de-icers were added in 1996. These product designs were sold to another western US firm in 2000, so that Oligschaelager could focus on the development of his revolutionary variable orifice nozzles. Today the full product line of O-Nozzles includes nine models aimed at specific customer requirements. Over 8000 O-Nozzles are in use in the US, Canada and Europe.

Oligschlaeger typically makes his innovations available to the principal manufacturers and suppliers of equipment such as spreaders and sprayers.  He advises and consults with US, Canadian and European companies on how to design the best performing equipment calibrated to city, county and state specifications.  His firm, Spratronics, is located in Snohomish, Washington, and can be reached at 360-668-2548.