Blog

When we need to make very small holes, cuts, lines and features laser micromachining is usually the best choice in our digital fabrication toolbox. Lasers that emit light in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum are especially useful in biotech and medical device applications since they can create features as small as 1 micron –…

All material processing starts, of course, with the material.  Laser micromachining is a good option for manufacturing parts since materials absorb light resulting in a physical transformation of the material’s structure.  Whether it’s a thermal process as with infrared lasers or the ultraviolet lasers’ photo-ablative mechanism, laser light can drill holes, cut, weld, and mark…

At Potomac we like to say that despite the mainstream media hype, 3D Printing is not yet the Star Trek replicator.  The same is true for all the technologies we use to make products for our customers.  From prototype to production, manufacturing tools are seldom a one-stop solution to making anything and are often used…

In recent years Potomac has added 3D Printing to our Digital Fabrication toolkit, integrating the additive manufacturing process with laser micromachining, micro CNC machining and other technologies to solve complex manufacturing problems.   We’re pushing the envelope of 3D printing limitations especially in the medical device and biotech fields.  But sometimes it’s the simplest of applications…

How we helped Fab Lab Baltimore and in the process gained valuable workforce development. Potomac’s move to the UMBC campus has reaped a number of benefits for Potomac, one of which was most unexpected.  The new facility is located about a mile from the Community College of Baltimore County [CCBC] where Fab Lab Baltimore [FLB]…

Stanford researchers find the flexibility and affordability of the Fast Track program the right fit for R&D in biotech microfluidics project. July 9, 2015; Baltimore, MD:  Fast Track, recently introduced by Potomac Photonics specifically for affordable microfluidics device fabrication, has expedited research to advance biotech applications in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Stanford…

Digital fabrication technology has impacted some unexpected aspects of life. One recent Potomac project demonstrates how even the hallowed Eagle Scout badge has evolved to capture young people’s innovation and creativity by using the latest tools. Philip Trevisan, a recent high school graduate from Princeton, NJ, came to us when he was working to earn…

Making, inventing, fabricating, creating: Activities that drive America’s innovation history and shape the economic landscape of the nation. President Obama proclaimed June 12 – 18 a National Week of Making. Coast to coast, in cities and rural areas, Americans answered the President’s call to “renew our resolve to harness the potential of our time —…