Developing new products in the 21st century requires faster development of prototypes in order to optimize designs and speed time to market. Being first to market has been demonstrated to create barriers to market entry for competitors, and to increase profitability. We’re especially excited to help improve the chance of product success when we work with groups developing new products to impact lives through innovation in BioTech, Medical Device and Microfluidics research.
One R&D group for whom we’ve manufactured novel microfluidic devices is Prismatix, which has grown out of the Israel Institute of Technology [Technion]. The new Lab-on-a-Chip technology that aims to provide accurate bacteria diagnostic test results within 2 hours was recently awarded a Discovery Award. The seed-funding grant will be used to help further develop concepts and prototypes for the Longitude Prize application.
Offered by a group of mostly British organizations, The Longitude Prize is a £10m prize fund that will reward the winner that can develop a point–of–care diagnostic test that will conserve antibiotics for future generations. According to the rules, the winning test must be accurate, rapid, affordable and easy to use anywhere in the world.
Potomac offers researchers two novel programs to make rapid prototyping even more rapid: Fast Track for Microfluidic Devices and Proving Ground Design Testing.
Fast Track for Rapid Prototyping Microfluidic Devices
Fast Track provides custom microfluidic device fabrication quickly and cost-effectively. Our digital fabrication technologies including UV laser micromachining are specifically geared to rapidly turning custom designs into functioning devices at a fraction of the time and cost it takes with traditional manufacturing processes. Pricing for a minimum of 10 units of a prototype starts at just $90 per part. At higher volumes, unit price is typically less than $15 per part, and with digital fabrication, design changes are only a CAD file modification away.
Verifying proof of concept is easy with Potomac’s Proving Ground program. The new design testing service gives e
ngineers and designers in biotech, medical device, microelectronics, microfluidics, and consumer products companies a first step to try an idea by keeping within certain parameters that reduce machining set up cost.
Both programs have limitations on design parameters. But based on analysis of literally thousands of jobs, we were able to narrow down exactly what our customers most often need to get a fast, functional prototype at minimal cost. Of course, we can work outside these guidelines and would be happy to quote on any job.
You can read more about Potomac’s work on the innovative Technion project and learn how this groundbreaking research may impact humanity’s growing antibiotic crisis
