Use case - PicoFoundry
Customer story
PicoFoundry: custom SERS chip cartridges without molds
Korea (KAIST spin-off) · Deep tech / analytical sensing
PicoFoundry commercializes SERS chips for fast detection of trace substances (food safety, environmental monitoring, early diagnostics). The chip was strong; the bottleneck was the cartridge that protects and positions the chip in each customer’s Raman instrument. Many custom variants were needed in small volumes.
Injection molds were too slow and expensive for early market entry; CNC struggled with complex internals. Additive manufacturing enabled rapid iteration and true custom design. Source & credit: Stratasys. SEIDO Systems is Stratasys Platinum Partner across Benelux, France and the Nordics.
The challenge
Without a robust cartridge, even an advanced SERS chip is hard to use. Different Raman systems meant many cartridge designs. Tooling costs and lead times blocked fast design changes and market testing.
The approach
With Stratasys 3D printing, PicoFoundry prints and evaluates samples in real time — designs matched to chip size and customer equipment.
“Before the use of 3D printers, changing cartridge designs was virtually difficult, but now, it is possible to create and evaluate samples in real time.”
Impact
- Multi-SERS cartridge (96 chips, 12×8) for high-throughput
- Single-chip cartridge for portable / field use
- Nanochannel grating cartridge for ultra-trace analysis
PolyJet
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SEIDO Systems is Stratasys Platinum Partner across Benelux, France and the Nordics. Contact us for advice, a demo or try & buy.