Our colleague Florian Schmieder presented strategies to accelerate the development and production of novel Micro-Physiological Systems (MPS) at the High-Tech Forum at the Compamed trade fair.
November 14, 2022
Our colleague Florian Schmieder presented strategies to accelerate the development and production of novel Micro-Physiological Systems (MPS) at the High-Tech Forum at the Compamed trade fair.
Our colleague Florian Schmieder presented strategies to accelerate the development and production of novel micro-physiological systems (MPS) as part of the High-Tech Forum at the Compamed trade show.
Lab-on-chip systems: From prototype to series production in the shortest possible time
"Prototype production processes are currently still lacking for the path from small series to large quantities," explained Florian Schmieder, project manager of SIMPLE-IVD. Manufacturing in the lab involves additive manufacturing processes or multilayer lamination, among others, i.e. building up in layers of polymer films that would be implemented in injection molding or roll-to-roll processes for series production. "Until now, manufacturers had to start all over again to scale up to another process," he continues.
His team has now found a solution to this problem by developing and testing special design rules. With their help, producers can incorporate requirements for a wide variety of manufacturing processes, both prototype development and small and large series, into their designs as early as the planning phase for IVD cartridges. Fraunhofer IWS scientists have already designed such design rules for several classical manufacturing technologies. In addition to injection molding and vacuum casting, these include multilayer lamination, deep drawing and several additive processes. "In the future, we will steadily expand the range," Schmieder looks ahead. In the process, solutions can also be developed with customers as quickly as possible that fit their requirements exactly.