Delta Development Creates a Portable Medical Refrigerator to Help Wounded Troops
Company Size
11-200
Region
- America
Country
- Canada
- United States
Product
- Onshape
- Autonomous Portable Refrigeration Unit (APRU)
Tech Stack
- Cloud CAD
- SaaS
- Real-time Collaboration Tools
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Customer Satisfaction
- Innovation Output
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Connectivity Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
- National Security & Defense
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Delta Development is a Tucson-based R&D company specializing in military applications for cooling and heating systems in extreme environments. The company was contracted by the U.S. Air Force to design and manufacture the Autonomous Portable Refrigeration Unit (APRU) for deployment by medics on the battlefield. Delta Development collaborates with the 48th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona for the design and testing of the device. The company has a small team of 13 employees, with most of the mechanical engineers also proficient in either electrical or software engineering. Delta Development places a high value on versatility and has been able to leverage new engineering capabilities and technologies to develop innovative solutions for military and medical applications.
The Challenge
As a small military R&D firm with engineers fulfilling multiple roles, Delta Development was seeking to reduce its IT overhead, which was taking up 20% of the team’s product design time to manage. Delta Development switched from an on-premise CAD system to a cloud-native Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product design platform, eliminating the downtime required for software installation, licensing and regular system upgrades. The military and the medical industry often rely on low-tech solutions for the safe transportation of blood, vaccines, virus samples, and temperature-controlled medications. Current methods, such as using beverage coolers filled with ice, are not reliable and do not follow FDA best practices. Delta Development was contracted by the U.S. Air Force to design and manufacture the Autonomous Portable Refrigeration Unit (APRU) to address these challenges.
The Solution
Delta Development chose Onshape, PTC’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product development platform, to design the Autonomous Portable Refrigeration Unit (APRU). Onshape combines robust CAD tools with real-time collaboration and data management, allowing multiple engineers to work simultaneously on the same 3D CAD model in the cloud. This eliminated the need for software installation, licensing, and regular system upgrades, significantly reducing IT overhead. The APRU is a compact, 29-pound unit designed to hold six liters of blood. It features a rechargeable battery that lasts for 80 hours, a digital screen indicating remaining power, and is operational in any orientation. The device is dustproof, waterproof, and can withstand extreme hot and cold environments. It also has an embedded heater to prevent its contents from freezing and uses a large aluminum heat sink instead of a traditional condenser with a fan, making it more rugged and reliable. Onshape’s real-time collaboration tools and comprehensive Edit History have been critical for Delta Development, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the team to continue their design process remotely.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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