Converting a concept into a working product that can be used in clinicians offices around the world
Developing groundbreaking cancer treatment technology requires years of research. But actually designing and manufacturing products that doctors and clinicians will use is a race against time. Manufacturers not only want to rush to make the technology available to patients in need, they want to be the first to establish new markets.
Such was the challenge before UK based Photo Therapeutics. The firm wanted to capitalize on the latest research showing how a combination of medication and exposure to special LED lights could effectively treat non-melanoma skin conditions previously treated with painful and expensive surgery. The company contacted Lucid Innovation Group convert the concept into a working product that could be used in clinicians' offices around the world.
Lucid had earned a reputation for creativity, quality, and rapid product delivery having used SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software. Its engineers were going to need to capitalise on the software’s productivity and efficiency to meet Photo Therapeutics’ requirements for performance, dependability, aesthetics, and most of all, fast turnaround. The result was the Omnilux, the first non-surgical treatment device for non-melanoma skin conditions.
Functional
Lucid’s first task was to solicit input from a focus group consisting of doctors, clinicians, marketing professionals, and patients about the functional requirements for the product.
Engineers applied that feedback to rough sketches that they quickly modeled in 3D using SolidWorks. These 3D images were easy for the focus group to review, understand, and comment on, enabling the engineers to continue refining the basic design until everyone approved it. “There was no product before this. We were blazing a new trail and therefore, we had to get plenty of input up front,” says Alistair Williamson, Lucid’s managing director. “The timeframe meant we had to get it right the first time. Using SolidWorks, we were able to get quick verification of design ideas from those who would be using the product. That kind of input is crucial to product functionality.
Quickly turning that input into solid models for prototyping is paramount for meeting tight production schedules.” Lucid kept this focus group informed and solicited its feedback using SolidWorks eDrawings e-mail enables design communication tool. With eDrawings, Lucid engineers could send easy-to-understand solid models that doctors could review and comment on without
downloading software or understanding engineering details.
Lucid also used eDrawings to communicate design concepts to parts makers in Taiwan. It used SolidWorks PhotoWorks photorealistic rendering tool to provide life-like images of the device for marketing purposes. “eDrawings created a common
language among our engineers, the engineers in Taiwan, and the doctors, clinicians, and marketers reviewing the product,” says Williamson. SolidWorks’ intuitive environment allowed Lucid engineers to quickly build solid models of the Omnilux and troubleshoot issues such as part interference. The software’s surfacing capabilities enabled the team to create the sweeping shapes that make the Omnilux’s structure rigid yet elegant. The team used COSMOSXpress design validation tool to ensure that the Omnilux’s multi-position arm, which held the LED light source, would be light enough to use, cost effective enough to make, and strong enough to stand up to constant use.
Timeframe
Omnilux was taken from concept to shipped product in 10 months, meeting Photo Therapeutics’ timeframe and allowing it to get the product to market ahead of any competitors. Since the product’s debut in 2002, Lucid has adapted the technology create products that treat acne and rejuvenate skin. Now there are more than 2,000 units in use around the world.
“The complexity of electro-mechanical assemblies and mechanisms that move in several directions means we have to use 3D modelling,” said Andrew Hodgin, Lucid’s director of innovation. “Our people get a kick out of using SolidWorks, because it helps them do their jobs better, delivering faster design and automating essential but mundane tasks like creating bills of materials. SolidWorks gives our designers the tools to work as a team with anyone, and teamwork grows our business.”
ENGINEERING OCTOBER 2005
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