Lunaphore needed a near-production-ready prototype that could be manufactured in small quantities and quickly made available to research laboratories. The scientific spin-off company needed to accelerate its development process to address the challenges of a time-efficient yet flexible approach. In order to be able to do the final assembly of the prototype on its own, the Lunaphore team was closely involved in the project and has been trained to produce further units independently.
To address the requirements with a holistic approach, Quo’s interdisciplinary team of engineers and designers worked closely on the different functionalities, such as the key mechanical components for holding and sealing the samples and the access to the test tube.
The prototype’s functioning needs to be reliable and the design robust to withstand everyday laboratory use. Therefore, the design enables an easy and safe operation by laboratory personnel, whereas the robust design of key components not only enhances reliability but also durability.
Quo developed an ergonomic and state-of-the-art device, defined the materials and manufacturing processes suitable for low-volume production and evaluated external partners for component manufacturing.
The final prototype was assembled and commissioned in Quo's workshop in collaboration with Lunaphore. With a full knowledge transfer, Lunaphore received all the component specifications and will be able to independently assemble prototypes in the future.
With this device, Lunaphore won the Swiss Technology Award 2018.
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