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Team:UCL E/Business/Manufacturing
From 2013.igem.org
Manufacturing Costs
Suppliers
MutiCB We have identified MutiCB as our PCB manufacturer. MultiCB provide PCBs designed with through-hole technology. We will place parts and solder for the first low volume batch. Future assembly will be automated with pick-and-place machines and wave soldering when production volume is increased.
Protomould
We plan to obtain our centrifuge rotor from Protomould. This company provide low volume injection moulding with cheap, short-life tooling. Most economical production method for part numbers ranging from hundreds to thousands. For larger part numbers we would migrate to a full injection moulding house.
Electronics from CPC
CPC are an UK based electronics supplier with good bulk discounts for electronics.
Peltier and LCD display
We plan to obtain our Peltier and LCD display from independent Chinese suppliers with whom we are currently negotiating bulk supply discounts.
PCR block and box
Regulations and Safety Requirements
To manufacture electrical equipment in the UK, we must meet the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 which covers all equipment designed for the workplace and domestic electrical equipment. Our responsibility as the manufacturer is to ensure the Darwin Toolbox meets the safety requirements, and declaring this with 3 key components:
- Technical documentation
- a European Conformity Declaration of Conformity
- a European Conformity (CE) mark.
Technical documentation
Manufacturers of new products subject to European product safety Directives must collect and be able to assemble comprehensive information covering the design, construction, conformity assessment and use of the product to demonstrate how their product complies with all applicable Directives. This is known as a technical file. It should be in one or more of the official Community languages and kept available for at least the time specified in the relevant Directive (eg for machinery this means for at least 10 years since last production of the product range).
European Conformity Declaration of Conformity
Our product must be supplied with an European Conformity Declaration of Conformity. This is a written certificate that show that we, as the manufacturer, formally declare that our CE marked equipment meets the requirements of the regulations. In this document we must state:
- identify the manufacturer or the authorised representative
- describe the electrical equipment to which it relates
- where appropriate, specify the harmonised standard(s) or other specifications with which conformity with the safety requirements is declared
- where appropriate, refer to the specifications with which conformity is declared
- identify any signatory empowered to enter into commitments within the EC on behalf of the manufacturer or his authorised representative
- include the last two digits of the year in which the CE marking was affixed
We are not required to provide a copy of the EC DoC with each product, however a copy must be kept with the technical documentation, and within the territory of the EEA by the manufacturer, the authorised representative, or failing that, the importer who first places the equipment on the market in the EEA.
Adapted from Electrical equipment manufacturers: regulations and responsibilities
European Conformity (CE) marking
The CE marking indicates a product’s compliance with EU legislation and so enables the free movement of products within the European market. By affixing the CE marking to a product, a manufacturer declares, on his sole responsibility, that the product meets all the legal requirements for the CE marking, which means that the product can be sold throughout the European Economic Area (EEA, the 28 Member States of the EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein). This also applies to products made in other countries which are sold in the EEA.
