Spring 2006 Issue - Neighborhood Report
Georgetown
Moeller Design & Development Rapid Prototype Specialists
Posted: October 15, 2008
Dave Moeller started Moeller Design and Development in 1989 with himself and one employee. Today, the company has 50 employees who work at a 30,000 square foot building on Industrial Way in Georgetown and the firm is an industry leader in “rapid prototyping.”
That’s the common name for a host of related technologies that allow the fabrication of physical objects directly from CAD data sources and Moeller uses these applications to help manufacturers develop product prototypes.
The prototypes make the turn from computerized concepts to physical reality using a variety of technologies, particularly Stereolithography (SLA). SLA has a reputation as being the technology of choice for delivering intricate and accurate models of complex inventions.
Rapid prototypes are designed by computers and built layer-bylayer from a photosensitive polymer resin that is shaped by lasers rathern than by the traditoonal method of sculpting a prototype from a material like wood or clay.
The prototypes can be put to work as engineering “check-fit” models that are used for form and design evaluation. Or, they can be used for marketing purposes as “appearance models” that are suitable for presenting concepts at trade shows or through photographs. But prototypes aren’t the only thing that Moeller delivers. With the same process, Moeller also makes stereolithography patterns which are used by local metal foundries for casting everything from designer flatware to swing-arm assemblies to aircraft engine casings.
Moeller also uses other rapid technologies, such as CNC and other 3-D printing technologies along with cast polyurethane RTV silicone-mold tooling. Cast urethanes deliver prototypes with material properties similar to production-like plastics. It’s a choice often used for developing a marketing sample or test prototype. It can also be a high-value, low-volume production solution when fewer than 100 pieces are required and the manufacturer’s time and budget doesn’t allow for injection molding.
Moeller employees include experienced SLA technicians, mold-makers, urethane casters and finishing experts who use a variety of rapid-prototype technologies. Many of the employees have worked for Moeller for a decade or more.
Customers include companies that make medical devices, aircraft parts, cell phones, computer keyboards, stereo speakers and video game controllers. The one commonality is that they are products developed by market-leading designers and manufacturers. The very things people use every day. One of the products that Moeller prototyped became a famous lifesaver.
More than a decade ago HeartStream, now Philips Medical Systems North, contacted Moeller to discuss concepts for their latest product development project, the HeartStart defibrillator. The Philips design team knew that a revolutionary new product could only be achieved through a series of multiple and refined prototypes that would let them thoroughly evaluate form, function, and design while allowing them time to gain approval from market researchers, physician groups, and consumers.
With Philips’ digital files in hand, Moeller built the first run of SLA appearance models, closely replicating the performance parameters intended for the new Philips product. The prototype was textured, painted, silk-screened, and pad-printed. It looked enough like the real HeartStart device that the prototype became a prop on the hit television series ER. Today, Moeller continues to prototype next-generation medical devices for Philips, as well as for numerous other manufacturers.
“When it comes to rapid prototyping, we are fully aware that today’s manufacturers and product designers have many technologies to choose from,” says Moeller. “The advantage we can offer manufacturers is our talented staff and our ability to use the right technology for the right application consistently and expeditiously.”
