Erlanger's International Knife & Saw Inc., a maker of industrial cutting equipment, is enjoying a slice of big-time media exposure,thanks to the wildly popular BattleBots show on cable's Comedy Central.

        IKS, along with Cincinnati Machine in Oakley, supplies equipment for the show that features battles between two radio-controlled robots using saws and hammers while trying to avoid boobytraps in the arena floor.

        Since co-creators Trey Roski and Greg Munson launched the show in 1998, IKS has been supplying ever-more sophisticated saws to the show and some of the robots.

        “They just walked into the showroom of our California distributor one day,” said Jeramy Fishel, IKS marketing manager. “One set of saws we provided cut a robot in half. They didn't like that.”

        IKS redesigned the knives, which carry the company logo, with two blades, one that partially cuts the robot and a second that kicks it away to avoid further damage.

        “The show's definitely popular,” Mr. Fishel said. “After every show, we get calls. Everybody seems to know about it.”
       

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