When Curt Almy of Miles City recently found himself dealing with the rapid growth of his business, he turned to Montana State University students to help design a manufacturing process that could keep pace with demand for his product.

Almy, the inventor of a fastener called the Cat’s Claw that replaces traditional fencing staples, has worked for the past year with a small group of MSU engineering majors who tackled the manufacturing challenge for their senior capstone project. He recently visited Bozeman to see the team’s prototype machine, which sorts and combines screws with the Cat’s Claw’s trademark steel part that secures fence wire to wooden posts.