ZetrOZ product concept (left) and prototype fabricated by CCAT using 3D printing.
The 2015 Manufacturing Technical Assistance Program (MTAP), a state legislative financed program, is providing small companies with an opportunity to collaborate on product development with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT). The program focuses on innovative companies with fewer than 100 employees looking to access CCAT's expertise and cutting-edge manufacturing technology.
Under MTAP, CCAT is working with ZetrOZ, Inc. to develop wearable bioelectronic devices that deliver sustained acoustic medicine, a new treatment form built from ZetrOZ's proprietary miniaturized ultrasound technology.
Incubated at Cornell University and founded in Ithaca, NY, in 2009, ZetrOZ relocated to Trumbull, CT, in 2012 after receiving an investment from Connecticut Innovations. The company has since launched its first FDA cleared device, SAM Professional System, which is the first of its kind in delivering continuous ultrasound therapy for up to four hours per day.
"At CCAT's Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC), we are able to assist small and mid-sized companies in developing specific design and production solutions with our advanced manufacturing technology," said Eric Wold, CCAT Machining Applications Specialist. "Using 3D Systems' ProJet 5500x multi-material 3-D printer, CCAT was able to quickly and cost effectively create numerous iterations of ZetrOZ's plastic housings that contain the system electronics."
ZetrOZ's Director of Engineering Eric Kolb stated, "ZetrOZ is using CCAT's additive manufacturing technologies to prototype next generation concepts of SAM. The CCAT staff has been instrumental in accelerating our product development."
The SAM Professional System is currently used by professional athletes, dancers and a wide range of individuals suffering from injuries affecting muscles, tendons or ligaments. SAM is designed to alleviate pain and accelerate a patient's recovery time, potentially eliminating the need for surgery and getting a patient back to work more rapidly.
"With our team of industry professionals at the AMC, we offer companies customized support using the latest equipment for metal additive manufacturing, multi-material 3-D printing and precision machining," said Wold.
"The CCAT staff has been supportive throughout the project, providing advice and collaborating with the ZetrOZ engineering team to develop product solutions and process improvements," added Kolb. "It has also been great that the MTAP program has been designed with flexibility and minimal bureaucracy to benefit companies like ZetrOZ that have limited resources and are on tight development timelines."
For more information contact:
CCAT
222 Pitkin St., Ste. 101
East Hartford, CT 06108-3220
860-291-8832
www.ccat.us