Millipore asked Robert DeFelice & Associates (RDA) to create a sleek, low cost, laboratory safe design for its 96-well membrane punch.  A 96-well plate with membrane attached was loaded into a carrier which inserted the plate into the punch mechanism by pulling down on the handle.  One row of 8 wells was aligned with 8 SST pins that punched through the membrane allowing round membrane pieces to drop into aligned test tubes below the punch.  Each successive pulling down on the handle indexed the next row of wells resulting in the punch mechanism punching 8 more membrane pieces until all 96 wells and membrane were exposed.  RDA staff developed the indexing and punching feature.  Millipore provided a basic, mechanical model of the punch.

Our handsome solution included 2 low cost, rapid tooling, pressure formed parts on the front and back of the cast aluminum structure, a machined, grooved plastic plate that guided the punched membrane pieces into test tubes in another low cost, pressure formed test tube holder.  The punch design was easy to clean, easy to remove the test tubes holder, and proved attractive to Millipore customers.

We provided an industrial design package of handsome styling, mechanical engineering of the molded plastic parts, engineering of the cast aluminum stand, metal parts for the punch mechanism and handle, DFMA documentation, and vendor recommendations.