How does A-laser work with you?

From development to high-volume production

If you live and work in Silicon Valley, the phrase “Start-Up” is common in business communication. The Bay Area is still a hotbed for the creation of new technologies and new ways to advance our lives. Start-ups are a great collection of individuals, who have passion and are eager to solve problems, develop a new technology or device in industries such as medical, communication, alternative energy, electronics, semiconductor, automotive aerospace and just about everything you can think of. The methods and uses of today’s technology are looked at by these start-up groups and new ideas and approaches to advancing and making them better is the goal. Progress begins with the idea and then the research and hours, days, and months of discussion and more research. Starting up is a slow process, but at some point, they need to have that idea turn into something tangible. We must remember that this is business, and that the goal is to create revenue. High production volume is one way to achieve this. The first step is getting that prototype done. Almost all production volumes we see, high production and low, come from start-up level. Though each inquiry we receive is unique, the process is a common story that we are happy to support. 

A wonderful example was for the medical device industry. The advances made by start-ups in this industry are done to improve lives and help medical professionals have better tools for diagnosis and better treatment of patients pre and post care. It gives a better quality of life in so many ways. When approached by a start-up in the medical device industry, we quickly learned the reason for this outreach. They had an idea and had some early prototype work done, but just could not get the device to work properly. Success of the device would benefit a patient’s health and they needed a partner to help them prevail. The medical industry has stringent regulations and procedures to ensure the public’s health. No device would ever be considered if it had sub-par results. The best path forward would be laser development. 

Laser development provided by A-Laser is a method to take your idea and work through the current challenges by running a series of tests on cutting the material. This focus is driven by your requirements for the finished part for tolerance, edge quality, and overall size and adjusts during the process. Examples of these adjustments are: 

• Laser Power – What is the best power to use? 
• Laser Speed – How fast does the laser beam travel in millimeters per second. 
• Laser Focus – The beam diameter can be adjusted if needed. 
• Number of laser passes or how many times does the laser run the programed file. 
• Frequency of the laser. 

The test cut is confirmed by the Quality Inspection Team which works in tandem with the production team by inspecting the part. By using OGP’s or Optical Gaging Products, measurement is done to the material used and confirms the overall dimensions of cut features. The tolerance is also checked to be in specification. If any aspects are found to be out of specification, this is relayed back to the development team for additional adjustment. Once confirmed and approved, the development process is allowed to run fully. There are numerous settings adjusted and when combined and achieving the desired results they are called the “laser tool” and is saved for future use. 

As with many R&D development projects, the first iteration was not the final design and additional revisions came forward with high volume machining. This again was a long process and A-Laser worked in collaboration with the customer to gain valuable information and feedback. Upon final approval, the green light was given to provide low level volumes in support of additional testing and evaluation. After several years, the light at end of tunnel was visible. When start-up projects begin, A-Laser works in two parallel objectives. The first is to develop the process and manufacture a working part. The second is to always keep in mind how can this be processed for production volume? When this medical device was approved and needed supply steam support. A-Laser had the ability to switch from R&D to full production capacity from knowledge through communication of what the demand would be. Additional laser systems were already available to take on additional capacity and have redundancy. The production team was trained throughout the time during the development process. This resulted in knowing the inspection levels required, certifications needed, and packaging procedures to be used.  As a continuing customer, we are happy to be part of this and all the industries we support. 

A-Laser has been supporting Start-Ups in the in the Bay Area and throughout the U.S. for over 20 years. In this time, we have taken advantage of the opportunity to grow both in experience, technical knowledge, and laser technology to support R&D and high-volume machining. Every request is unique, and we look forward to learning how we can best support your new ideas.