Grow it - Don't Cut it

BAD DÜRKHEIM, Germany 29. 11. 2004 (PROTEXT/ots) - It seemsthat there are good prospects in the realm of new technologies inGermany, providing that these technologies are systematicallyapplied in ways that meet customer needs. Industrialmanufacturing can only remain competitive insofar as it is rapid,thus converting innovation leadership into market and costadvantages.

Small, precision plastic components can be manufactured inone of three ways: injection moulding, laser cutting orgenerative processes such as Rapid Micro Product Development(RMPD) technology, in which individual components take shapeconcurrently (including in large production runs) from moltenplastic without the aid of tooling. However, in microinjectionmoulding processes, only a small number of components can bemanufactured concurrently using the same equipment.

Unlike the other two processes, injection moulding involvesengineering and financial costs. Moreover, this process, as wellas laser cutting, requires subsequent work steps and additionaltechnical equipment.

In the realm of micofluid products for biotechnologyapplications (diagnostic systems and micropumps), the labour andnumber of steps saved as the result of a changeover to generativeprocesses are particularly advantageous in terms of cost and timein product development, and particularly for series production.Moreover, only generative processes automatically produce surfaceproperties such as hydrophilic areas, thus avoiding subsequentprocessing.

MicroTec is a highly experienced customized seriesmanufacturing and product development specialist with twoproduction facilities in Germany. This medium sized company hasthe logistical advantage that it can use international airmail toship micocomponents and microsystems, including largeconsignments. At the same time, customers benefit from onlineprice quotes and orders, from any computer worldwide, via CADdata transfer.

Andrea Reinhardt and Dipl. Ing. Reiner Götzen,

microTEC

Gesellschaft für Mikrotechnologie mbH

Kaiserslauterer 353

D-67098 Bad Dürkheim

Phone: +49-6322-650-220 or +49-177-424-0226

www.microtec-d.com

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