Grow it - Don't Cut it
BAD DÜRKHEIM, Germany
It seems that there are good prospects in the realm of new technologies
in Germany, providing that these technologies are systematically applied in
ways that meet customer needs. Industrial manufacturing can only remain
competitive insofar as it is rapid, thus converting innovation leadership
into market and cost advantages.
Small, precision plastic components can be manufactured in one of three
ways: injection moulding, laser cutting or generative processes such as Rapid
Micro Product Development (RMPD) technology, in which individual components
take shape concurrently (including in large production runs) from molten
plastic without the aid of tooling. However, in microinjection moulding
processes, only a small number of components can be manufactured concurrently
using the same equipment.
Unlike the other two processes, injection moulding involves engineering
and financial costs. Moreover, this process, as well as laser cutting,
requires subsequent work steps and additional technical equipment.
In the realm of micofluid products for biotechnology applications
(diagnostic systems and micropumps), the labour and number of steps saved as
the result of a changeover to generative processes are particularly
advantageous in terms of cost and time in product development, and
particularly for series production. Moreover, only generative processes
automatically produce surface properties such as hydrophilic areas, thus
avoiding subsequent processing.
MicroTec is a highly experienced customized series manufacturing and
product development specialist with two production facilities in Germany.
This medium sized company has the logistical advantage that it can use
international airmail to ship micocomponents and microsystems, including
large consignments. At the same time, customers benefit from online price
quotes and orders, from any computer worldwide, via CAD data transfer.
<start_table>
microTEC
Andrea Reinhardt
and
Dipl. Ing. Reiner Götzen,
Gesellschaft für Mikrotechnologie mbH
Kaiserslauterer 353
D-67098 Bad Dürkheim
Phone: +49-6322-650-220
or
+49-177-424-0226