Products to Market: Case Studies

It started with a rough sketch, as many projects do. This multi-disciplined project spans technology from TIG welded steel frames and fabricated sheet metal components to custom made semiconductors used to detect and distinguish a range of x-ray energies.

Headed by Professor Phil Butler of Canterbury University Department of Physics & Astronomy, the team comprises a range of talented individuals including design engineers, fabricators, precision machinists, electronics technicians, radiologists, physicists and software engineers. Various groups of students studying in these fields also contribute significantly, which has been one of the stated intentions of the project.

The core of the machine is the Medipix semi-conductor detector. This has been conceived and developed at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) as a spin-off of the detector technology used in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This is a constantly evolving technology. Although tiny, this device has taken many years and many collaborations to develop into the current Medipix 3 detector.

Quarticom's contribution to the project was to design and assemble a rolling cabinet to contain and operate the already constructed rotary gantry assembly. The gantry aims and aligns the X-ray tube and camera assembly, so that it rotates and scans around a small stationary target. The maximum target sample size is approximately 100mm (4 inches) diameter by 280mm (11 inches) length. The cabinet had to also house the associated electronic control gear and interface computers.

Just to keep things interesting, the gantry section had to be completely enclosed by a secondary radiation shield of 2mm thick lead sheet. In order to be able to install, access and remove the gantry assembly, the shielding was required to split into separate tank and lid sections, whilst still safely stopping secondary internal x-ray radiation leakages once in operation.

The shielding constraint affected the design mostly by restricting mechanical communication with the gantry. Fixtures and cable routes had to take the long way through a radiation blocking labyrinth. Also, the degree of precision required was higher that most fabricators tend to work to. Luckily we found a local fabricator willing to adapt, and they proved to be great partners for our project.

My role expanded to include some machining, as a guest contractor in the Physics workshop. This enabled us to try out ideas to improve various fittings and assembly methods that were more obvious on the final assembly. With a resulting quicker turnaround, this has helped improve the overall design and usability of the machine, from a technician and operator point of view. Consulting with the various suppliers has also proved invaluable, as we have channelled their advice on how to make it easier to manufacture straight back into the design record.

This project has been very satifying and enjoyable for me. It has called upon most of my skills and experience, ranging from project management, design, machining and fitting. As a bonus, I get to work and interact with a diverse range of talented individuals at the university and with suppliers. It is a priviledge to be able to work in the physics workshop, where I can still enjoy hands-on machining. Along with the license to come up with creative solutions to quickly head off time consuming delays, I feel it is my diversity which has made the main difference to Quarticom's contribution.

There are five of these machines already completed and on their way to various rearch institutes in Europe and the USA. We are already looking to the next run of machines, with an eye to improve upon what we have learned from the first batch of machines.

The RoqStop was a product born of necessity. Originally developed in-house at Quartic Engineering Ltd, it has been refined by direct experience with CNC production set ups, and addresses the problem of reducing machine set up downtime to an absolute minimum.

Embodied in the design are the principals I bring to any project. The RoqStop is direct in its functional ability but remains easy to manufacture, mainly by taking full advantage of aluminium extrusions. It is easy to use and attractive to the eye, even for those who don't immediately understand its industrial purpose.

The RoqStop is made entirely in New Zealand. Due to a robust set of manufacturing drawings, it could be produced by any capable manufacturer. This extends from the making of individual components, through to assembly and packaging.

The research and development on the RoqStop is still very active, with model updates in the wings, and export markets to explore. The lessons learned from this project remain fresh in my mind, allowing me to better anticipate and head off potential development hurdles as I interact with clients.

This award winning device monitors energy usage in a domestic shower by measuring water flow and temperature, beeping after a user-preset amount of hot water has been used. The hotter the water and/or the higher the flow, the more energy used, so the sooner the monitor indicates shower-time is over. It displays shower-time left, the current time, and the exact water temperature for precise temperature control.

The client came to me with a very clear idea of what was required. My brief was to design the simplest possible package for the electronics and sensors, keeping it strong, waterproof and easy to assemble.

A series of metal & plastic prototypes were built & tested in real-world conditions. Further lab testing by the client ironed out any design or assembly issues we could find. The same CAD solids data used for prototyping was used directly by local toolmakers, where the injection mould-tools and mouldings were produced.

Waitek currently manufacture the units in Christchurch, New Zealand, exporting to markets all around the world. Even though the original design intent was to conserve electricity, many users have found it very useful as a water conservation tool, and this feature helped it earn its Australian award.