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The Allergomedica (UAB Imunodiagnostika) clinic is an innovative place where not only comprehensive and professional help can be provided for the patients but also novel health monitoring solutions are developed. The clinic specializes exclusively in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. Allergists and clinical immunologists, laboratory specialists, and researchers work together to address each patient’s individual problem. Knowledge about allergic diseases and their diagnosis is constantly changing. New and new ways of treatment and diagnosis are emerging, so the highest quality care can be provided to the patient only by specialists who are constantly improving in this field. Health Tests at Home One of the newest innovative initiative of the clinic was to provide patients an opportunity to perform health tests at home with the use of simple blood test kits which can be shipped from home to the clinic for research. To develop such kits Allergomedica has chosen Micromolds as a design and manufacturing partner. The kit hardware consisted of a plastic stick to collect the test samples and the plastic case where the stick would be safely located for the transportation. It required a close teamwork of the clinic medical specialists and Micromolds engineers to design and make the first prototypes of the plastic hardware. The SLS printed prototypes For the first prototypes we used 3D SLS printing technology just to get the feel and look of the plastic case and the stick inside of it. Also, we had to check the assembly and fit of the assembled parts. It was also, necessary to assure a good snap fit of the closing parts of the case. Aluminum Micro Molds for Low-volume Production When the prototype versions were confirmed for further manufacturing we had to make a transition to the tooling and moulding of the first batch. For the tools, as almost always, we used aluminium and EDM machining to achieve desired surface finish of the final plastic cases. The results The plastic cases were delivered on time and in a good quality. We have many more projects to come with this innovative clinic and we take this as a proof of our good work.

Droplet microfluidics is a recent trend of laboratory automation technologies, which allow scientists to explore the biological world at an unprecedented resolution and throughput. The new infrastructure is powered by innovative instrumentation, software as well as the consumable reagents and chips. In this context, plastic chips play a key role in enabling these applications, as they ensure a consistent and scalable droplet production. What are the microfluidic chips? At the foundations of droplet microfluidics are the chips used for high-speed droplet generation, injection, splitting, merging, mixing and storing. However, specialist injection moulding knowledge is required for producing chip features with micrometer resolution. Material science expertise is equally important as chosen plastics need to be compatible with fluorinated oils and biological analysis workflows. Finally, mechanical design is also important, as plastic chips feature a combination of microscopic features defining microfluidic functions, in addition to the macroscopic chip features like snap fits for assembly and liquid containers (wells). High volume chips’ molding When microfluidic channels are tested and confirmed for the desired research objective, higher volume of the chips may be demanded and this is where Micromolds company with micro injection moulding steps in. Not only does injection moulding come handy because of its high productivity but also because it enables the possibility to make non-micro structures – like the reservoirs, wells, inlet and outlet gates together with micro geometries in one single moldable piece. However, this comes at a certain cost which is challenging for any injection molding professional. Tooling challenges When things get really small, regular machining might not be an option even though theoretical machine and tool precision would let do so. For such micro tools we had to use tool inserts that are located inside the mold base. Since the high plastic injection pressures forces are exerted inside the mold cavity and core, we had to experiment a lot with different machining options of those inserts – from laser ablation to multiphoton polymerization. Manufacturing the insert is just one side of a coin, the most challenging task was to locate the insert inside the mold base so that alignment of the core and cavity would be perfect and the clamping forces would not brake the inserts. Injection Challenges Extremely flat surface of the chip was needed to make micro geometries possible. This meant that any sink marks caused by the uneven wall thickness had to be solved. However, we could not make walls thinner than the smallest ejectors we had since this would have caused us demolding problems. In fact, it did. At the first trials the ejectors were too weak and started to bend. As a way out we had to play with injection parameters to reduce the sink marks to the minimum so the wall thickness could remain unchanged and thus thicker ejectors could be used. The results We are excited to participate in the development and production of droplet microfluidic tools for the life science sector. We constantly grow with our customers by pushing together on the technical limits of plastic chip designs and enabling new applications, which finally contribute to modern biological research and human health.

1300 employees, 18 countries, 27 offices, This is how big Teltonika IoT Group is. The IoT group subsumes 5 subsidiary companies working in: Telematics (tracking hardware), Networks (professional networking equipment), Mobility (personal tracking, asset tracking and electric mobility) telemedicine (pulmonary ventilator and other healthcare devices) and EMS (manufacturing). The product Teltonika Telemedic almost two years ago initiated an innovative smart watch development project in the telemedicine industry. Teltonika Telemedic developed a device that can detect continuous ECG levels and atrial fibrillation. A smartwatch now undergoes the final technical checks and certification procedures. Clinical trials were carried out which delivered extraordinary results demonstrating high accuracy of ECG recording – 99,2% compared with in-hospital ECG holters. It indicates high precision to distinguish atrial fibrillation from other arrhythmias reaching 99,1 %, tested with more than 30 % of patients with frequent arrhythmias symptoms. The use of PPG in continuous monitoring of heart activity will allow detecting irregular heart rate in a timely manner even if there are no symptoms felt by the user. Thus, the smartwatch would detect asymptotic atrial fibrillation and prevent heart diseases if patients are diagnosed as early as possible. The design form molding To fit all of these technological features into a usual every-day smartwatch is quite a challenge both for designers and manufacturers. “The conception of design is not a job that takes one day or a month to complete. It is way more than you can think of. It took us nearly half a year to develop the design that it is right now. We put a lot of thought into producing a unique design which would be intuitive to use.” – says Eimantas Ramunis, Product Owner at Teltonika Telemedic. Many smartwatches in medical and consumer markets were compared and analysed, the flaws were determined to outperform competitors and stand out of the crowd. Teltonika design team came up with nearly five different designs. Thus, not surprisingly, it was even more difficult for the whole team to choose the best one not only from the design point of view but also from manufacturing. The plastic case A good designer knows that what looks and feels good does not always work out with technological aspects and might cause problems with manufacturability. To speak numbers – the watch will have six sensors contacting with human. From the manufacturability side, it means making slots, holes, fixtures and complex shapes to integrate all of the technology. Since the only option for making this product tangible is injection molding it also means that variety of inserts will be used to form these complex features and that the moldability optimization also should be implemented. Micromolds ℠ is driven by such challenges daily and that is what we love about on-demand molding business. We are proud to be chosen to fulfil “TeltoHeart” smartwatch prototyping phase needs from design optimization and consultation to actual physical prototypes. “The company was contacted due to their flexibility and short lead times, also because their other manufactured products proved to be high-quality. We need a flexible and reliable partner that can produce on-demand quantities. They are the perfect partner as they own the injectors that warrant our initial quantities.” – says Eimantas Ramunis, Product Owner at Teltonika Telemedic. Mold inserts made with metal 3D printers The watch strap had to be mounted to the plastic case at a particular angle which made mold machining nearly impossible. Luckily, metal 3D printing technology could be used for that. Metal 3D printing technology is based on laser power which binds small metal particles in requires geometry. Layer by layer 3D printer made the inserts which were successfully installed inside the molds. Not only have 3D printed inserts been used but also the sensors and metal connectors made and designed by Teltonika Telemedic team. It was quite a challenge to fit them all in such a tiny plastic case which meant placing every insert inside the mold at specific positions with an extra high precision to avoid any defects like flashes or unwanted weld lines. The overmolded elastomeric watch strap Rubber, silicone and elastomer – all three different chemical materials but very similar for a regular user. When looking for material for a watch strap two main challenges arise immediately. The first being the resistance to wear and the second being the tackiness. Not only the material will have to maintain its form while being twisted, bended and stretched but also not to collect dust and feel comfortable. “Originally, we wanted to explore ideas using silicon bands, but silicon does not provide the durability and properties that are offered by TPUs” – says Jostautas Petrusevičius, Hardware Engineer at Teltonika Telemedic. Huge amount of TPEs’ combinations was tried to obtain the desired feel on the skin. The strap also had to be hypoallergenic and withstand sterilization even with corrosive liquids like isopropyl alcohol. When it seemed that the right material has been found there were always one more thing to remember - “TeltoHeart” smartwatch strap will have an integrated sensor. Such integration is one of its kind in the whole smartwatch industry and this is one of the reasons why Teltonika Telemedic team has also consulted with our company. Such feature demanded an extraordinary technology. How to insert such a sensor in a flexible elastomer strap which would resist fatigue and other environmental harsh conditions over time. Elastomer overmolding came as perfect solution. While overmolding itself is not something new we have been doing, in this case we had to overmold the flexible (floating) wire inside the strap. Even though injection pressures are not high but it can still deflect the wire inside the strap which would result in wire being not fully overmolded. Despite this difficult challenge our team succeeded in a uniform wire overmolding. The results “We are really satisfied with Micromolds ℠ services. The company offered fast and responsive technical support. It helped us to save time and expenses on expensive tooling for mass production. We could see and test possible problems before mass production and eliminate them.” – Eimantas Ramunis, Product Owner at Teltonika Telemedic. The quote above summarizes it all. We are so happy to share this story which once again proves that our hard work pays off. We can deliver results and we truly help companies to innovate and this is the biggest reward we can get.

Medical Injection Molding Project MFI (Medical, Industrial) provides design, engineering and production services in Medical and Industrial fields covering high-end on-demand manufactured cables and wires. The company specializes in custom wire harness, assembly of connectors, EEG caps, cable design, soldering fine wires and much more. MFI is a company that has a 15 years of expertise in the medical and industrial fields. MFI has established its name in custom-made wires, electrodes, and similar products categories. MFI has a dedicated team of engineers who are experts in 3D modelling, mechanical engineering, prototyping, and manufacturing. All this is for the creation of a reliable connection for the client. Subcontracting Molding Service When it comes to subcontracting with other manufacturing companies there is always some curiousity to find out something similar between the partners. We were glad when we knew that we have much in common with cable overmolding - even though Micromolds company specializes in micromolding technology , we have had some cable overmolding projects in the past as well. Maybe this much related subject helped as to bond and develop a stronger partnership with other projects to come in the future. Receiving an RFQ This cooperation itself was about injection moulding of a plastic housing for the electrode. As soon as we received the RFQ we understood that this is something we can surely do without much competition, because we could check-mark all of the below: The part was small enough so we could make even 8 or 16 cavities in a single micro mould; The manufacturing volume was up to 100k; It had some micro-features achievable only with micro moulding technology Urgency - the project had to be done in few weeks and it needed rapid prototypes We had in stock medical grade ABS material. The product was an ideal for our micromolding technology and thus we felt quite sure that we can give a competitive offer for the client. DFM analysis and part optimisation for moulding After the order confirmation, as always the DFM followed. Since the contracting company was a manufacturer and had a strong engineering knowledge itself, the quality of the CAD model was superb. As well as the RFQ received itself. “This is what we call a qualitative RFQ that helps to save time for both of the client and the manufacturer” – says CEO Jonas We had only to add some draft angles for some regions and also agree on injection points and ejector marks. The process was fast and smooth and thus we transitioned to the tooling stage in about 3 days. The Tooling – Mold Making We used aluminium micro molds with 4 cavities. No EDM machining was required. We had molds ready in less than 1 week for sample molding. Sample Check T1 When we mold the samples we are the first ones that can inspect them and tell the quality of the work done. As always, we are honest and transparent with the client and if needed we share optical images or videos of the defects occurred. However, the defects can be of 2 types: caused by the moulder (us) or by the client – design of the part. In this case when we received the first feedback there could be controversial opinions: the broken wall could have occurred due to the wrong knit line location (bad part optimisation – our responsibility) or bad design (client’s responsibility). Thanks to the expertise of both the client’s and ours engineers we could nicely agree that this was not an issue of a knit line which was not possible in this situation, as seen in the picture. Both parties could agree that the wall should be thickened and thus the solution to the challenge came quickly. As the CEO of MFI Ronald de Vreeze would say: “We have a solution for just about every challenge – be that specialist customization in single pieces or large volumes…” When it comes to the mold modification due to the subtractive type of CNC machining we can only carve out the material from the mould but not add it back. Since the wall had to be thickened the modification was a minor change and we did it in few days. The results Since the changes were obvious and minor the client decided to avoid the sample check T2 and we went straight to manufacturing of the first batch. Even though we had some little anxiety after we had sent the first batch we received another order for batch 2 and the anxiety dissipated instantly as the results were satisfying. Not only did we succeed in this single project but we have also built a strong partnership with a MFI company – we are having next 2 projects to come and we take this as prove that we did a truly great job.

In this case our client was a global high-tech company working on a cutting-edge electro-optic systems for applications in defense and security industries. Their products range from unmounted warrior systems, border surveillance and OEM solutions for airborne and naval integrations. Over-molding the Cables Innovation frequently leads to a creation of something customized and non-standard. In this case - custom-made cables. Wire over-moulding process is used to protect cable from strain and bending forces and mechanical wear near the termination points or contacts. Sometimes over-moulding for cables is used not only for cable protection from shocks and folding but also for branding, where companies' logo can be easily casted with plastic injection method. In this case only over-moulded protective covering was required. Aluminium dies were CNC machined. For encapsulation we used TECHNOMELT® PA678 BLACK thermoplastic polyamid which has good adhesive characteristics and thus is very suitable for encapsulation. Thanks to its low viscosity this plastic can be used for low-pressure injections which is good for over-moulded components located inside the cavity. We also used additional insert seen in the upper and below pictures with wires passing through it. The insert was used to position cable and fully enclose cavity for smooth injection and solidification around the cable. The cable was screwed to the insert to maintain constant positioning and fully enclosed cavity. Injection molding might leave minor marks and blemishes - called flashes on a work-piece. These appear due to deviations and errors in mould size and machining inaccuracies, also, due to incorrect pressure settings which should be adjusted during the process. Also, little marks can be seen punched by ejector pins while pushing cast out of the cavity. Usually these drawbacks are unavoidable but can be minimized by using high precision tools and expert level of engineering skills, thankfully, our results prove us to be just like that. Button Prototype Injection Moulding There is no secret that electronics industry is high in demand for buttons and switches. Newly designed devices sometimes require custom-made knobs to turn on/off variety of functions. Buttons stand between human and machine and lets interact him with it, thus, its design becomes crucial for good user experience. We've been contracted to mould prototype button from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) hardness of 60 Shore A. These kind of materials are a class of co-polymers that has both thermoplastic and elastomeric characteristics. TPE makes button soft, grippy and flexible. However, when making non-standard button, dimensions and form can have huge impact on button's functionality. Button has to bounce back when pushed and create a good user experience by giving a feeling that it has actually been clicked. As we were about to make prototypes we decided to fit 4 button designs in one mould. However, we also expected that we might get it just right at first trial, so we decided to save on tooling costs and designed only one button with space buffer for 3 more buttons including area for runners and vents. We have used CNC milling for aluminium mould and EDM (electrical discharge machining) for surface finish. Our expectations were right. The moulded prototype was perfect at first shots. We and our contractor agreed that we can firmly scale production without any further prototyping. Anyway, saved space in the mould will be easily used for future projects, having in mind our close partnership with our existing clients.

The iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition) is the largest annual international competition in synthetic biology. Teams from best world universities competes here with their researches and scientifically based projects which solve actual world problems. We are proud to be part of Vilnius -Lithuania iGEM 2020 team helping them out with our mechanical engineering skills and knowledge. The Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM 2020 team project focuses on a critical issue in the food industry and aquaculture - infectious diseases in fish, which in turn wipes off more than $ 6 billion annually in fish farming industry (World Bank, 2014). While Earth resources are scare, the growing human population is leading to a growing demand for them, thus ability to effectively and sustainably produce high levels of food is becoming more an more relevant issue. The presumption of this project is that identified appropriate mechanisms for disease prevention, detection and treatment will greatly reduce production losses caused by these infectious pathogens and will eliminate the use of antibiotics in fish farms. Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM 2020 project consists of three main parts: Early detection of exogenous bacterial diseases by the use of strip test; Treatment based on the action of exolysins; Prevention based on the development of proteins immobilized in alginate beads for vaccination. As it can be easily guessed "Micromolds" team will mainly contribute in the first part of this huge project. We are really proud to be part of Vilnius -Lithuania iGEM 2020 team helping to design and manufacture strip testing device to indicate infectious bacteria in fish farms. However, it is not our first time we participate in collaborations with Vilnius University. Our task is to design 3D model of strip test which could be later on manufactured with 3D printing technology FDM. This will be only a prototype to demonstrate the testing procedure on fish farm site. The main design constrains we have discussed for this strip test device are: Material must be suitable for FDM 3D printing; Sample well should have converging form for sample liquid to freely drain inside; The housing should have transparent section for test and control lines indication; Fixation at points of membranes should be minimal not to interfere diffusion; Strip test device should be reusable with one-time use strips; Dimensions: height: 4 mm; length: 70 mm; width: 10 mm. This project is still in process and will be updated. ...

Another project another innovation? We are always glad to apply and share our manufacturing knowledge and experience with innovating companies of any kind. Not only companies, though. At MicromoldsTM we take social responsibility seriously and this project proves us not being just talkers but also doers. Neurosurgeries and manufacturing? Together with the students from Vilnius University (VU) and the neurologists of Vilnius University “Santaros” Clinics we have designed and manufactured a head frame which is used as a locator device for fixing stereotactic arc position. Stereotactic arc is a clinical instrument that allows surgeons to detect and apply the desired trajectory for a stereotactic intervention. Stereotactic (or stereotaxic) interventions, theoretically, are supposed to be performed for treatments of any organ system inside a human body. However, these have only been applied in neurosurgeries (performed on brain) so far yet. What is also worth mentioning is that neurology is quite a new discipline as a field of health sciences. Data about the first use of stereotaxic devices on humans were published in 1933. Since then, the tools of neurosurgical operations were being developed and currently stereotaxic intervention treatments may be applicable for various neurological diseases: from Parkinson’s disease to even cancer (for performing stereotaxic radiosurgeries). Ideas born from problems? The main idea of this project, was to propose a new, reliable and comfortable device to position stereotactic arc more precisely. It was born because of the need of solution for the constantly arising arc positioning problem during the surgical interventions while using stereotactic arcs. In fact, during the surgeries, it is highly possible that any unconscious movements of the patient's head might occur and the consequences of these involuntary actions might be tragic. Before the head frame idea came as a solution, someone had always had to hold the head of the patient steadily and upright while the neurologist was trying to screw the arc to the skull bone. The process was extremely inconvenient and risky. Let us offer a solution Our 3D Printed Head Frame now can be used by surgeons to pre-position the stereotactic arc by attaching it to the frame by using pins and screws. Thus, the preparation and process of a surgical intervention have become more convenient and reliable, since the head, frame and arc can be locked together in one immobile system. No assistance would be needed anymore and the positioning error of a stereotactic arc can be minimized. Head stable while head frame sustainable? For frame prototype manufacturing we used PLA (thermoplastic polyester) - plastic suitable for additive manufacturing FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling). PLA is currently one of the mostly used polyesters in 3D printing. This thermoplastic polyester is considered to be a bioplastic material, since it is sourced from renewable resources rather than from fossil fuels. Also, it may be easily recycled (since PLA has an SPI code 7), incinerated in an economical way (with leaving no residuals and producing a significant amount of energy) or composted till ultimate degradation. And these features of PLA are what makes our 3D printed head frame for stereotactic surgery environmental-friendly. We continuously strive to reduce waste and create sustainable solutions in our projects, while designing and producing economical products from as much renewable and recyclable materials as possible. Not to mention that we are manufacturers on demand. Not to mention that all of our plastic injection molding processes as such are being optimized to save resources and minimize plastic waste. Applying our 3D printing experience The main corpus of the head frame was 3D printed. The following processes were drilling the holes for bushings. Holes were used for placing manually controlled actuators to enable custom positioning configurations for different head sizes and forms. Furthermore, the knobs and fixation pads of the actuators were 3D printed. The assembled final prototype can be seen below in the picture. Job worth doing is worth doing together Our team is happy to collaborate with professionals of the healthcare industry. Not only is exchanging ideas exciting and rewarding, but also turning them into reality and practice is as well. We are highly grateful for an opportunity to contribute to the future of the neurosurgeries and to the future of medicine as a whole. We care about innovation because we believe that this is what drives our future and that is why we have contributed to this project. We are always looking forward to work on scientifically based innovations which would help the experts of their fields to do their job more easily and provide more advanced services and products. Eyes on the prize! There is nothing more exciting to us than to put our efforts on creating something new and helping others. Our team is ambition-driven and we are pushing ourselves towards fulfilling our common mission and achieving our future goals every day.

We are proud to share that our most recent micro injection molding project has allowed us to put our passions for challenges and sustainability in one place by collaborating with innovation and environmental friendly company. However, as nothing good comes easy, this project brought us to a great challenge which will soon be introduced further. About our client Since 1825, MyCourant is a rope and rope accessories manufacturer located in France. Courant is a vertical living and safety brand name well-known worldwide. This is a family business where the know-how was accumulated through almost 200 years and was conveyed and developed from generation to generation. The innovation lies deep in the roots of this company and this project is not an exception. Main Challenges: Design and Sustainability This time MyCourant team was developing a new “Boule de Ferlette” for recall ropes. It is a ball that is placed in the end of the recall rope for the recovery of false ring fork. This ball is useful during pruning work and can be used even if the rope does not have a splice. In order to have a better picture of how the "Boule de Ferlette" will look like after the process of injection molding, the first 3D printed prototype was created. However, the initial solution of a wooden anchor with a special surface treatment appeared to have serious drawbacks. The surface treatment was mainly used for better wear resistance and brighter colors, but this made the ball a non-ecological product and too simple in its shape . Basically, it did not represent the company as needed as it had not aligned with one of the main values - sustainability. “in order to have reasonable costs, we could not do what we wanted in terms of shape since the machining of a product would be complicated but the worse was that it deteriorated quickly, and we had long production times” , - stated the R&D designer Mr. Laurent Glauser. The new approach: Biodegradability and Design for Manufacturability The new design was based on biomimicry and thus, aligns better with the company’s values. Mr. Laurent has worked hardly on a new design to make the product similar to the acorn and manufacturable. Mr. Laurent has previously stated that: “The product should not get stuck through foliage or branches and therefore should be profiled.” The ball had additional design constrains – the strong construction which would be able to withstand at least 200 Kg and ecological materials used, as Mr. Laurent has stated: “Biodegradability is important since the future is green and ecology is a subject close to our hearts and to our customers”. Low-Volume Manufacturing: Micro Injection Molding Right after the new designs were developed, tests were made on ground with professional users and stress tests were conducted with a test bench on 3D printed models. When stress analysis was passed, Mycourant team contacted Micromolds company for the service of injection molding. Since Micromolds company specializes in low-volume manufacturing and micro injection molding , the “Boule de Ferlette” project was a well targeted RFQ. The quote with moldability analysis was sent through 1 business day and the new issue arose: making the design of a ball compatible with injection molding technology . Challenge No.1 - Undercut Regions The ball had many undercut regions. This might happen with the new projects and sometimes it is worth to remember, that not everything that is visually attractive can be manufactured. The rope that was winded around the ball had to be shifted to avoid undercuts. Micromolds came up with 3 new design solutions. Challenge No. 2 - Sink Marks Since the ball had thick wall regions, there was a considerable risk of material cooling issues which would cause sink marks to achieve better strength . In injection molding, thick walls do not always mean strong walls. Sinking can cause serious problems and can hugely reduce the strength of the part. Engineers and designers had to agree on where exactly and which walls can be thinner as well as what hollowing options were possible to maintain a good appearance of the product. Challenge No. 3 - Mold Modification After the first sample check and tests, MyCourant company came up with a complicated modification in mind. When it comes to modification in injection molding, the possibilities are bounded by the exact location and type of the modification in the mold. Since the tooling process is done by the means of material subtraction – CNC machined , this means that the processes cannot be rewinded. In simple terms - the metal chips cannot be glued back to the mold. So, if the modification takes place in the cavity side, enlarging the wall, for example, may be possible because the mold can still be machined. However, if thicker wall is needed in the core side, this might become impossible, since there might be no material left to machine. In this case, modification happened to not be in favor for the Courant company. Micromolds loves challenges and took risk by trying to do the impossible . It would actually not be possible to put those machined chips back, though machining a little ‘puzzle’ part that could be glued or screwed inside the core side of the mold might seem as a way out. This solution can work in rare cases and is purely dependent on the luck – where the modification takes place. The way around this problem was smooth – the mold was modified and the production was launched. Results: Final Injection Molded Products and Smooth Collaboration The cooperation with MyCourant company was smooth and satisfying. Brilliant and fast communication laid a strong foundation for trust between both companies. Altough the project has had many challenges and has taken a long time to be finished, both parties are equally satisfied with the results. Mr. Laurent’s feedback illustrates this nicely: “We are happy with the result and the quality of the parts obtained, with a biodegradable and compostable material , still young on the market. In addition, Micromolds provided an excellent service and cost-saving advices .”

New product releases and innovation are inevitable actions for the growth of the company. And not only this. During the period of the pandemic, fast and resilient companies contribute to the long-lasting fight against covid-19 with their solutions. Recently, "Micromolds" has had a contract to mould plastic components for our client's Bacteo newly developed product - a portable UV lamp. About our client During the first hit of the coronavirus, three entrepreneurs noticed that there either is a deficit of a disinfecting technology - Ultraviolet Light (UVC) - against covid-19 in the market or existing UV lamps are not efficient enough. To solve this problem Bacteo company was established to create safe and user-friendly UV lamps that would help disinfecting large areas during the global pandemic. Disinfection lamps kill harmful microorganisms with a short-wavelength ultraviolet light and it is scientifically proven that this method is also effective for inactivating viruses, including coronavirus. These UV lamps may be used in various public institutions to clean the infected surfaces and reduce the spread of the virus. We are proud to have contributed with such an innovative and socially responsible company to turn its ideas into reality and we will soon explain how. Plastic Spacer and The Cover After we had received CAD drawings of the part, our engineers had already started to design the moulds for injection molding and optimize for manufacturability. The material used is ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate). This plastic is similar to ABS but has better weather, especially UV resistance, thus this material is widely used for outdoor products. The picture below shows the part and the mould together still in the design phase. ASA material was also used for the plastic cover as well as for cover undercuts. Since the project was on a strict schedule there was a lack of time for testing and prototyping. Tooling process was also done rapidly. Since the estimated production levels were not large, we decided to use manually operated inserts to form undercuts instead of inclined ejector pins. It was difficult to guess how tight the undercuts should hold the cover in position. We were told that the cover should not be easily detachable as it will be used as an exterior component, however, it must be detachable if service for the product would be needed. We decided to go through empirical practice and prototype “on the go” within the mold itself because we had an opportunity to cut deeper into the core to shape higher ribs which would increase rigidity of the undercuts. After the first try we immediately noticed that the hooks were too loose, thus we agreed to increase the height of the ribs by milling a deeper mold section marked in red. After the second trial the undercuts were successfully shaped in required tightness and the production launched. We are happy that we are able to help companies to maintain their resilience and ability to rapidly adapt to the market changes and capture given opportunities, moreover, to contribute to the overcoming of this COVID pandemic period and the improvement of people's health.

It’s worthless to repetitively talk about how electrical appliances take up more and more space in our daily lives - electrification is a real boom these days. Electric scooters, robots, electric bicycles, electric cars - the list is endless. It seems only now are we beginning to see the real potential of electric vehicles. However, electrification faces one very important and still not fully solved challenge – energy storage. "EMUS" company is taking this challenge by improving batteries’ management systems and thus extending batteries lifespan. Founded in 2010, "EMUS" company has been working on various control systems for electric vehicles. Over time, "EMUS" has become an exclusive manufacturer of lithium battery management systems. Housing of any electronic gadget supports PCB’s and other electronic components inside, insulates and gives form, design and branding for the final product. This power management system device was not an exception – housing for new product was needed. We are glad that "Micromolds" team was able to provide "EMUS" company with full range of services for this project. We have successfully performed all stages of new product making: Designing and prototyping Optimizing for manufacturing Mould manufacturing Parts production – injection moulding Why did "EMUS" choose us? We halved the tooling costs and time to market in respect of traditional plastic injection moulding. Our mould is 5-6 times smaller than the traditional one, has less cavities, thus it is made much faster and cost of production is significantly smaller. We also use “Babyplast 6/12” injection machine which has low running costs and is made for micro-injection moulding. We do not talk only about numbers. We have CNC milling machines and team of mechanical engineers all under one roof – thus we are able to optimize CAD designs for manufacturability, consult and save by not subcontracting other manufacturers. As expected production volumes were up to 100k pieces per year, our quotation appeared really favourable for EMUS company and we made a contract. What were the main challenges? In order to form PCB fixation hooks with injected plastic, lifters are usually used sliding diagonally in mould plates. This manufacturing technology is relatively complex and thus expensive. In order to keep the costs low our team of engineers used ejectors to form fixators. In this case, the work pieces had to be ejected manually. For a relatively small production volume, this method really paid off. Prototyping For making prototypes we used SLA (stereolithography) - 3D printing technology. Prototypes are manufactured in a layer by layer manner using photochemical processes by which light causes resin to solidify. A total of 3 prototypes were made to look for best functionality and design type. We selected the most suitable product design, performed minor tweaks and jumped straight away into mould making. Material selection and mould manufacturing Choosing the right materials for new product making is no less of importance. Most frequent choice of thermoplastic polymer for electronic housings and enclosures is ABS ( Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ). It also works perfectly for plastic injection technology due to its relatively low melting point and good casting properties. ABS material also is favourable because of its low cost. CNC milling machines were used for aluminium mould making. Aluminium moulds work just fine when production volumes do not exceed approximately 100k cycles. EDM technology (electrical discharge machining) was used to create a high-quality surface finish of the outer surface of the product. EDM technology allows to machine work pieces non-mechanically - the product is machined without mechanical force but is exposed to heat treatment, which allows to finish surfaces of complex shaped products. Digital manufacturing is happening now Not only have we become subcontractors for EMUS company and succeeded with this project but also we established lasting relationship by demonstrating advantages of digitalization when two modern companies work together. Sometimes we hear it called online manufacturing – this is what 4th industrial revolution is all about – minimal human intervention. We exchanged our sketches and CAD drawings online, discussed on optimization for manufacturability, also, online and final components were shipped as soon as production was finished. We did not make any physical contact with our client which made everything more automated, faster and safer if taking into account COVID-19.

"Reform" is a Danish modern furniture company designing and manufacturing smart carpentry kitchens. Most of their production is custom-made and sold worldwide in more than 30 countries. The word 'custom' immediately implies that low-volume and fast manufacturing may be the key to a successful work flow. To react fast to the market needs and remain resilient manufacturing partner may be the perfect solution. ''Reform'' and ''Micromolds'' partnership has lessen the risks occurring from changes in the market by supplying on-demand made plastic kitchen cabin spacers. The Design In this case we were able to deliver first batch of spacers in 2 weeks. We used CNC machine for milling aluminium moulds for injection molding. EDM was used for surface finish and logo engraving in the mold. For spacer's manufacturing we used ABS thermoplastic material.

„Ruptela“ - one of the fastest growing high-tech companies in Lithuania, providing transport management solutions. The company, which has been operating since 2007, manufactures integrated transport telematics equipment. These devices consist of GPS tracking devices, real-time monitoring and control systems. The company works with partners and clients in 127 different countries and helps companies optimize transportation processes. This is not a first time „Ruptela“ has chosen us, as reliable sub-contractors. We have been designing 3D CAD models optimized for manufacturing for their products’ positions for several months. This time we have been contracted to design the new housing of the „Pro5“ vehicle tracking model. “Micromolds” was responsible for product design, its optimization for manufacturability, mould design and prototype production. Design Constraints The main design constraint of this project was that the designed housing had to conform SAE J1455 recommendations for vehicles. These recommended areas of practice cover variety of concepts, affecting electronic equipment for heavy vehicles. Some environmental factors that had to be considered during product development are: Temperature; Moisture; Atmospheric effects; Mechanical vibration and mechanical shocks. The most challenging thing was to create an extremely tightly closing housing which could be opened without any tools. The housing had to be without any additional components - everything had to be integrated. We have decided to design external hooks to fulfill this need. It was possible to open the housing box by hand, without any additional tools. The housing also had to be a good electrical insulator, fireproof and impact resistant. For these specifications and design requirements we have chosen to use PC Lexan (Lexan® Polycarbonate) plastic material. One more design requirement was to integrate LED indicators inside the housing. The material we chose was semi-transparent so it was possible to let the LED indicators light directly through the wall of the housing. Prototyping Like in every our previous similar projects we used 3D printing FDM (fused deposition modelling) technology for prototype manufacturing. It was used for the initial evaluation of the product. After we had indicated the flaws of the prototype and made some design tweaks we went for second trial. Second prototype made with SLS (selective laser sintering) 3D printing technology was used for more accurate functionality and user experience testing. To get more realistic look and feel of the final product we made third prototype with another one 3D printing technology – SLA (stereolithography). Third prototype was also painted black to resemble final product we were striving for. Rapid prototyping technology made it possible to quickly check the functionality and the look of the product. These 3 iterations of prototyping made our team and contractors confident to scale for the serial production of this housing. SLS 3D Printed Prototype Manufacturing Plastic injection molding was the only manufacturing technology solution for mass production. Even though these housings were outside our micro-mould size limits, we successfully designed this product, optimized it for manufacturability, produced prototypes and manufactured moulds with our CNC machines. We are glad that we are trusted by such innovative companies like “Ruptela” and could strongly contribute to their new product development. Final Injection Moulded Housing