Blog Categories: Articles

2015 has yet again proven to be a great year at Potomac!  We continually strive to be on the cutting edge [pun intended!] of digital fabrication by utilizing the latest tools for laser micromachining, 3D printing, CNC machining, laser marking and other manufacturing processes.  But we go beyond just buying the best new machines. Here’s…

Laser micromachining at very small spatial scales demands special attention to precision. Anyone who has ever tried to assemble DIY furniture where holes were slightly off from part to part knows the frustration part variation can cause even for simple home projects. As you can imagine, precision takes on new meaning when drilling holes that…

The horrors in the news that come to us from around the globe each day challenge us to remember the many things for which the USA is thankful.  We do not live in a perfect place but Americans strive to create a better world on many fronts. Technology is an area in which we excel…

At Potomac innovation is not just another buzzword.  Everyone, from our engineers to the operators on the shop floor, is continually looking for new ways to push the limits of standard laser micromachining technology.  Almost perfectly smooth parts have been one of the manufacturing technology quests Potomac has successfully conquered through in-house manufacturing process innovation.…

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…