Digital Fabrication Pioneer Potomac Photonics Expands to New Facility at BWTech@UMBC
The move will put Potomac Photonics in a tech-centric community with access to expanded facilities, collaboration with faculty, and access to student talent.
Company President and CEO Mike Adelstein says the re-location will put the 30 year old company in the midst of a tech-centric community. Mr. Adelstein emphasizes that BWTech@UMBC gives Potomac access to expanded facilities, people, and innovation: “Rather than just renting space, being part of a leading innovation center gives us access to collaboration with faculty at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, an institution with an engineering and science focus. Even more importantly, we’ll be able to access student talent at all levels as potential employees and interact with other companies in the biotech and clean energy space.”
Baltimore County and the State of Maryland provided key financial incentives to facilitate the move. The funding adds a 1,200 SF modular clean room to Potomac’s already extensive capabilities for medical device, microfluidics and microelectronic manufacturing.
Conference, classroom and training facilities in the new location will expand Potomac’s offerings. Already a distributor of production equipment for 3D Systems Corporation in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new location offers expanded service, training and demo facilities on high-resolution 3D Printers such as the ProJet series. Potomac also plans to collaborate with the non-profit FabLab Hub, which provides training and workshops for anyone new to Digital Fabrication. FabLab Hub is associated with the MIT International FabLab Network based at the Center for Bits and Atoms in Cambridge, MA
The move is a homecoming of sorts. Paul Christensen, founder of Potomac Photonics remembers that the company’s first commercial space was in the incubator at the University of Maryland in College Park in the mid-1980’s. Dr. Christensen says, “This is the next forward step in Potomac’s evolution. Among several other benefits, the new, larger facility will facilitate our expanded collaboration with my new work, Potomac MesoSystems, in the miniature electronics area.” Potomac’s Mike Adelstein is also an alumnus of UMBC and has been with Potomac since the early 1990’s.
About Potomac Photonics
For over 30 years, Potomac Photonics has been a leader in microfabrication and small hole drilling. Potomac’s contract services span prototyping to production, helping clients develop miniature products and bring them to market. Using cutting-edge manufacturing technology, Potomac has been recognized by both commercial and government agencies for innovation in areas such as medical device, electronics, aerospace, and automotive manufacturing. Potomac’s high-tech facility, located in Lanham, MD, is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified. Visit the website at http://www.potomac-laser.com