Client: Sensors, Energy and Automations Lab, Department of Electrical Engineering, Univ. of Washington

Problem: Client needed a test fixture to hold a prototype ion pump for cooling computer chips. The holder needs to be rugged, easy to use, and must withstand 20,000V in testing.

Solution: Mechanical engineering staff from Seattle Prototypes & Designs, Inc, sat with the client and reviewed the necessary functional parameters. From there CAD drawings were quickly drawn up in Solidworks. Once the client approved the design, 3DPrints4Less.com was called in to make the actual prototype.

The actual prototype contained 3 individual clamp assemblies. The upper and lower jaw each clamps onto a piece of microscope slide (flint glass) selected because of its high dielectric strength. A piece of conductive foam at the tip of the glass slide was used to provide the electrical contact from the upper jaw to the silicon emitter array under test. Finally, the upper and lower jaw swings under spring tension to clamp onto the silicon emitter array.

Seattle Prototypes & Designs, Inc, was able to turn the clients' napkin sketch into a functional test fixture in under a week. By utilizing our services, the client, a PhD student, was able to focus more time on experiments and designs instead of the menial chores of building test fixtures. Results from these experiments had since been published in mainstream scientific literature.

See also: http://www.engr.washington.edu/enews/2006-08/11.html