Driving practical solutions in the race to combat covid-19

Over the past 18 months, rapid testing has proven to be a vital line of defence in combating Covid-19.

During the pandemic, PCML collaborated with a number of leading biomedical companies to help manufacture and assemble the precision parts and components for a range of rapid point-of-care testing equipment for COVID-19.

The pace at which the pandemic has unfolded over the past 6 months, meant that our engineering teams had to overcome a number of engineering and build problems.

At the height of the pandemic - PCML took on a contract to manufacture and assemble 1000 point-of-care diagnostic devices for a leading biomed Company.

During the manufacturing process the team encountered a persistent problem. The scale of units needed, required an increase in people to assemble the devices, which inevitably led to inconsistencies..

The disparity in hand torque levels applied to HPLC nuts by each technician was causing the machines to leak and jeopardising their fidelity.

Our engineers quickly identified the issue - and by blending old school engineering intuition with modern technology, senior engineers, Dominic Roach and Daniel Bax found a practical solution.

After an iterative design process, the team designed and 3D-printed an additional component which would interrelate with the machine.  

The result – by using a Geodore torque driver, a uniformed torque setting can be achieved each time - considerably reducing the failure rate for the devices.