Servotronics’ third-quarter profits jumped by 38 percent as soaring sales, at its cutlery business more than offset a drop in revenues at its motion control equipment segment.

The recovery by Servotronics’ cutlery business, which slumped last year following the completion of a key U. S. Marine Corps knife contract, helped overcome continued weakness at the company’s Advanced Technology Group. Servotronics’ motion control equipment business was stung by some customers stretching out orders and, to a lesser extent, canceling others, the Elma company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Servotronics said its profits rose to $833,000, or 40 cents per share, from $605,000, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier.

The company’s sales rose by 5 percent to $8.2 million from $7.8 million, as revenues at its cutlery business soared by 61 percent, offsetting a 20 percent drop in business at its Advanced Technology Group.

The rising sales at the cutlery business helped that segment increase its gross profits to $770,000 during the quarter after losing $129,000 during the same period a year ago. Sales in Servotronics’ consumer products business jumped to $3.9 million from $2.4 million.

In contrast, the slump in the commercial aviation markets cut gross earnings at the company’s Advanced Technology Group by 41 percent to $878,000 from $1.48 million a year ago. Motion control equipment sales slid to $4.4 million from $5.4 million.