Design & Development Case Studies & White Papers

  1. Cartridge Brush Design For DC Motors And Gearmotors 2/28/2020

    The traditional method for mounting copper or silver graphite brushes in brush commutated DC motor and gearmotor assemblies has been to solder the brushes onto standard cantilever springs to enable the required constant contact with the commutator. However, this conventional spring design carries inherent drawbacks that can be overcome by housing the brushes within a specially designed cartridge and utilizing torsion springs to ensure desired even force over the life of a motor.

  2. Prototype Tooling Can Help Avoid Product Launch Delays And Cost Overruns 11/19/2019

    The process for launching a product with an injection-molded component has continuously developed over decades. Prototype tooling plays an important role in this process.

  3. 3-D Printing Creates Big Innovation From Tiny Parts For Medtech Firm 11/5/2019

    Many new health care technologies have advanced over the past decade to enable doctors to perform more procedures in their offices over hospital only settings. However, hysteroscopy — used to identify or treat problems of the uterus — has been slower to respond to this shift. 

  4. Medtech Startup Smells Success With Additive Manufacturing 10/28/2019

    Combining the sense of smell with rapidly evolving virtual reality (VR) technology — enabling medical applications, including those that help soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — is the mission of OVR Technology, a startup in Burlington, Vt.

  5. Part Marking Using Pad Printing And Laser Engraving 9/23/2019

    When designing parts for injection molding, you may need to consider finishing options, which can help improve a part’s mechanical properties, enhance surface finishes, facilitate the final assembly process, or just further customize your part or parts.

  6. Don't Let A Shrinking Supply Chain Hinder Innovation 9/12/2019

    Many medical device companies are shrinking their supply bases, causing innovation challenges. This article explores some of the challenges medical device companies face in selecting their long-term supply chain partners and what characteristics those partners should have.

  7. PEEK, PEI, LSR, And Other Material Options For Medical Prototyping 9/11/2019

    Developing medical device parts is a high-stakes process, and material choice is an important decision. Five strong contenders include PEEK, PEI, and PPSU; polycarbonates; medical-grade liquid silicone rubber; and 3D-printed titanium and ABS-like WaterShed XC 11122. 

  8. Use Color Matching To Customize Molded Parts 8/28/2019

    Product designers often need their manufacturing suppliers to produce plastic injection-molded parts that are Pantone color-matched to company specifications. Protolabs' injection molding service offers custom color matching on customer-provided Pantone numbers and on customer-provided part samples.

  9. Health Of A Quality System: The Commitment To Quality 8/21/2019

    For medical device manufacturers, and FDA/ISO-registered facilities, the integrity of quality systems is critical. Ensuring the quality system is suitable, efficient, and effective for business needs and customers is a key focus. 

  10. A Novel Method For Chemical Recycling Of PLA Under Mild Conditions 8/14/2019

    Using the newly discovered process, different grades of PLA can be removed from a stream of commingled plastics and broken down to give high value chemicals.