Pro-dex

Mission-Critical Applications

The world-class benefits that Pro-Dex OMS motion controls provide each customer are undeniable. Nowhere else can one find the reliability, accuracy, connectivity, compatibility, flexibility, advanced features, compactness, and affordability, that Pro-Dex OMS provides. Below, you will find some case studies on how Pro-Dex OMS supplied its customers with rock-solid motion control solutions in application where failure was not an option.

Product Concept
In medicine, pathology is the study of the essential nature of diseases as well as the structural and functional changes produced by them. One of the largest OEM manufacturers has designed and built one of the most consistent and reliable Immunohistochemistry (IHC) bench top XYZ instrument to diagnose the type of cancer, and to help determine the patient's prognosis. When this OEM approached Pro-Dex OMS, we all knew that failure was not an option. However, the OEM was already at 60-slide capacity on an XYZ system and wanted to gain further market share by producing an instrument at a capacity for 84 slides within XYZ envelope and still maintain the quality and reliability known in the 60-slide instrument. The bottom line was that the OEM could own the market by producing an 84-slide instrument, which is ideal for high throughput laboratories and hospitals. With the help from Pro-Dex OMS, this OEM was able to win the largest percentage of market share in the world of pathology.

Product Development
In order to be able to grow existing market share in the highly competitive environment of laboratory and hospital diagnostics within pathology, Pro-Dex OMS recommended integrating the motion controller with the fluidics (pumps/valves) by eliminating the existing stand alone external controller and installing into the existing PC a PCIx004 - 4 axis ½ stack card. By eliminating the motion controller in a box, the PCIx provides for the fast data transfers to the PC. The integral I/O on the Pro-Dex OMS PCIx controller enables the activation of the fluidic process while tightly coupling to the motion to achieve the 84-slide throughput the OEM required.

Product Market
With Pro-Dex OMS having provided such a unique system approach that allowed the OEM to leapfrog the competition, this design has provided a strong working relationship to develop the next generation platform in coordination with the OEM R&D group. Now the attention is on developing a new platform for 4 instruments in an 84-slide XYZ system through only a single PC. Within 2 months, 5 prototypes have been delivered to the OEM for testing and evaluation based on the newly released 'UMX' - USB controller scheme.

Product Concept
A laser machining OEM is able to generate high contrast MEMs, microfluidic glass machining, and general-purpose microfabrication within the scientific and industrial markets. This is possible by tightly coupling the laser/motion controller with high-speed data transfer from a PC. When this OEM first addressed the required specifications to Pro-Dex OMS engineers, the desired result was to simplify and reduce overall bill of material costs without sacrificing performance.

Product Development
Pro-Dex OMS' vast background of applications acquired over 24 years of experience has provided a great baseline to drive the OEM's request to success. Pro-Dex OMS recommended a high-speed data transfer rate between the bus PC and the Pro-Dex OMS PCI motion card. Simplifying the OEM's request, Pro-Dex OMS integrated the laser and motion controller with I/O thus reducing the need for an additional data card and reducing the overall bill of material costs.

Product Solution
Producing this system solution to the laser machining OEM allowed the OEM to effectively compete within the highly competitive market of laser machining. This OEM maintains its edge by designing and producing instruments located within the continental United States. By having Pro-Dex OMS reduce BOM costing while maintaining performance, it allowed this OEM to jump into markets overseas, something they were not capable of doing with their older design instruments.

Product Concept
Precision flow rates with extreme accuracy provide a very important feature in liquid chromatography for mass spectrometry. Within the Life Science community, a well regarded mass spectrometry OEM was looking for a highly reliable, proven technology to solve liquid flow rates within 0.1% accuracy on existing instrument platforms, as well as next generation platforms. After frustrations with tweaking their existing motion control pump, the OEM approached Pro-Dex OMS, an organization they knew had the technical experience and expertise to develop an off-the-shelf product with a rapid time to market.

Product Development
Sensing the frustration and urgency to retrofit existing instruments, Pro-Dex OMS recommended taking off-the-shelf product components, which proved vital in the development, for the initial design of the precision flow motion controller. Taking this strategic approach allowed the development of the final assembled product to be delivered within 8 weeks after commitment from the OEM. The engineering/service support from Pro-Dex OMS provided the OEM the advantage it needed. The OEM was able to retrofit the new design in the field and provide the baseline for the next generation instrument possessing improved accuracy and reliability.

Product Market
By creating a product solution, Pro-Dex OMS allowed the OEM to complete the retrofits in the field with confidence that the system will perform to spec with the highest reliability and accuracy. This provided peace of mind for the OEM. After the first initial orders of the retrofits, the OEM is moving directly into production and into the next generation instruments revolving around the Pro-Dex OMS precision fluid motion controller.