Innovation Discussed

The Best Parts Start With The Best People

In this episode of the Innovation Discussed podcast, Mike Adelstein, President of Potomac Photonics, joins Mark to discuss the synergy between Goodfellow and Potomac following the acquisition in June 2024.

Mike highlights that the best parts start with the best materials and the best people. The integration of Potomac into Goodfellow has been a success because of the technology, products, and especially the people involved.

What does Potomac do?

Potomac serves as Goodfellow's manufacturing division, specialising in creating incredibly small components. Working with various industries, including medical device, biotech, and aerospace, Potomac’s customers provide drawings with complex, minute features, for the manufacturing of parts that often start with prototypes before scaling up to full production.

Micro-machining: Potomac employs techniques such as laser micromachining, micro CNC, micro 3D printing, and hot embossing to create precise features as small as one micron. (For context, a human hair is around 75 microns in diameter.)

Small Holes: Potomac specialises in creating tiny holes for various applications, including cell sorting, drug delivery via catheters (even to specific areas like the brain or heart), and drug development. In aerospace, these holes are used for cooling components. One device contains 70,000 holes that are two microns in size, used for fast sorting of different types of cells.

Multi-layer microfluidic devices: Potomac is working on a multi-layer microfluidic device for real-time Braille interaction, enabling communication for blind individuals. These devices miniaturise entire benchtop labs onto a small chip, reducing reagent usage, increasing experiment efficiency, and accelerating results. They have applications in drug discovery, diagnostics, healthcare, and environmental monitoring.

Material Expertise: The quality and consistency of materials are critical to Potomac's success. Goodfellow's high-quality materials ensure consistent and reliable production of micro-components.

The Future of Micromanufacturing

The acquisition of Potomac furthers Goodfellow’s focus on innovation, helping identify manufacturing problems and develop market-driven technologies to address them.

Find Out More

●    Visit goodfellow.com to explore Goodfellow's materials and services.
●    Visit Potomac-laser.com to learn more about Potomac's capabilities. The website is now available in multiple languages, including French, German, and Chinese.
●    Contact Aphrodite's team at technical@goodfellow.com with your questions about Potomac's services and Goodfellow's materials.
●    Email marketing@goodfellow.com or contact Goodfellow on social media with any questions.