Tischler Resources -- Teams for Product Design and Development

Here is a sampling of career projects...

Solea Dental Laser by Convergent Dental of Natick, MA, is the first CO2 laser to be cleared by the FDA for hard, soft, and osseous tissue procedures, virtually eliminating anesthesia and blood from operative dentistry. The dentist saves time... no injections, no waiting. They can work in multiple quadrants, address cavities discovered during cleaning in the same appointment, and do many soft tissue procedures directly. Because of its unique computer controls, patients experience no vibration, no noise, no numb jaw. Brought to market in mid 2013, this device has the potential to change the way dentistry is practiced... worldwide!

My primary responsibilities were to create the wheeled cart that houses the laser and its optical, electronic, and pneumatic components. With excellent coordination from electronics consultant Bill Groves of Sachem Design and from members of the Convergent Dental design team, I grouped components into modules for assembly inside a sheet metal structure, shielded the electronics for interference, and established a cooling scheme. Industrial designer Hern Kim of Hernetics, LLC joined me to shape the overall design with pressure-formed panels that met the aesthetic and ergonomic requirements of this chair-side device.

The intense two-year team effort that created this highly acclaimed dental instrument also yielded several major awards:

Medical Design Excellence Award - Gold, best dental instrument or product - 2014
Dr. Bicuspid Award - Best dental product of the year - 2014
Popular Science - "top 100, best of what's new" Award - 2014
Edison Award - Gold winner for Innovation - 2015
PRISM Award - Finalist - 2016

(http://www.convergentdental.com/solea/)

Song Meter SM3 is an advanced professional bioacoustics recorder by Wildlife Acoustics of Concord, MA. Its cast aluminum enclosure is fully sealed and ruggedized for reliable wildlife field recordings of up to 260 hours. This device allows you to simultaneously record any combination of avian, terrestrial, herpetological and marine life. In a project led by Origin Product Development of Maynard, MA, my role was to create accurate 3D CAD models of the physical components and to collaborate on the design and layout of the enclosure. We focused on designing water-tight seals everywhere, optimizing the internal wiring for manufacturing assembly, ensuring robust component mounting against major impact and vibratory loads, and providing improved enclosure field mounting options. (http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/products/song-meter-sm3)

Sanitaire Gold Series Diffuser by Xylem is a fine bubble aeration system with superior energy efficiency for water treatment plants. This Diffuser delivers high standard oxygen transfer efficiency (SOTE) while minimizing system head loss. Its modular design facilitates installation and retrofit. The combination of high density configurations and low flux enables the highest possible oxygen transfer utilizing the least possible energy. I was involved with the conceptual redesign of the Diffuser, helping create the unique membrane long-edge clamping system and the basics of the narrow end clamping mechanism. US Patent 8002249 (http://www.xylem.com/treatment/at/products/gold-series-membrane-diffusers)

Early Alzheimer's Disease Detection System by Cognoptix is a simple, innovative non-invasive eye-scanning test. I assisted the company staff with rapid mechanical enhancements to the original prototype. Their newest Sapphire II device is expected to permit early diagnosis with an eye test at the point of care. (http://www.cognoptix.com/)

Cell Separation Apparatus by Endocellutions for isolating a fraction of interest from a physiological fluid sample. One application is stem cell isolation and. My role was to help design a prototype device suitable for high-volume injection molding. US Patent 8241592 (http://endocellutions.com/)

SuturTek's 360° Sternum Closure DeviceTM eliminates the difficulty and danger of closing the sternum manually with the simple push of a button. (Image at left.) A steam-sterilized outer handle seals a removable battery-powered motor module inside. The surgeon snaps a sterile needle cartridge onto the front end, positions the device against the sternum and presses a button to drive a standard needle with attached sternal wire cleanly through. (http://www.suturtek.com/SC/)

Abiomed's AB5000TM Circulatory Support System provides temporary support for one or both sides of the natural heart in circumstances where the heart has failed, giving the patient's heart the opportunity to rest and potentially recover. (Image at right.) This complex battery-backed-up electronics device is constructed of sheet metal and machined parts with plastic skins, over-molded metal and cast urethane parts. The AB 5000 passed the severe helicopter transport and UL medical equipment tests on the first try. This was the second consecutive generation of this product we were hired to design. Industrial design and project lead by Michael Cattafe, Origin Product Development. (http://www.originpd.com/)

A small battery-powered Smart-MagnetTM for Medtronic Inc. providing safe management of patients' ICD devices during surgical procedures. (Image at left.) Despite the heavy internal permanent magnet, our injection-molded enclosure exceeded all requirements for multiple drops to the operating room floor.

Generations of electronic Holter Recorders for Northeast Monitoring Inc. Each new model reduced overall size while improving ruggedness. (Image at right.) (Mark Hubelbank, a founder, is my oldest continuous client; we first worked together on a heart monitoring product in 1983.) (http://www.nemon.com/)

Prototype body-worn biosensors for a variety of FitSense Technologies Inc. RF-linked devices, since 1998. (See more at http://www.fitsense.com/)

AirMotion Sciences has developed a new HVLS (high volume - low speed) fan to help solve air movement, energy cost, and facility temperature and air quality problems. (Image at left.) Using Variable Pitch TechnologyTM, RotatairTM molded blades and custom electronics, this new breed of large ceiling fan improves the comfort of facility environments while providing immediate cost benefits and savings. This fan moves massive amounts of air efficiently with low power consumption, letting people (or animals) below be more comfortable while lowering other conditioned air requirements. (http://www.airmotionsciences.com/)

Engineering Matters, Inc. has developed a fully flexible EVA (electromagnetic valve actuator) that replaces conventional belt-driven cam actuators in internal combustion engines and deliver a 20% improvement in fuel economy, 20% reduction in emissions, and improved low end torque. (Image at right.) This patented and patent-pending design allows for fully flexible valve control variable timing and lift and low valve landing speed. The camless EVA applies to spark-ignition, compression-ignition, and homogenous-charge-compression-ignition (HCCI) engines for optimum operating performance. Presented as Paper 2008-01-1350 at the SAE International World Congress in Detroit, April 14-17, 2008, the EVA won an R&D 100 award for 2008. (http://engineeringmatters.com/ and select "Projects").

A line of force feedback joysticks for Engineering Matters, Inc. that required careful attention to manufacturing technology costs, understanding of the electromagnetic forces so a proper structural support system could be designed, and accurate mechanical assembly. (Image at left.) One direct drive joystick won an R&D 100 award for being one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace in 2005. US Patent 20040027332 (http://www.engineeringmatters.com/)

AS&E's BodySearchTM enclosure for their backscatter contraband detection system which detects items hidden in or under people's clothing. Designed in 1995, next generations of this system are in wider use today. (http://www.as-e.com/)

Fishman Transducers' onboard "Prefix" preamp system that blends music pickups in acoustic guitars. An injection-molded outer bezel-and-inner plate pair, loaded with electronics, mount in the side of acoustic guitars and provide a patented flip-up access to its 9-volt battery. The challenge was to design the outer bezel to flex sufficiently to fit the side contours of most any guitar while latching securely without vibration. Depending on the guitar model, the mounting contour might be a convex surface, a concave surface, or an s-curved surface. The successful solution required a custom plastic formulation and a special latch design.

Fishman Acoustic Performer Pro and Monitor

Fishman Transducers' Acoustic Performer Pro and Acoustic Monitor one-piece 230 watt amplifiers. Both these compact high performance systems deliver crisp, clear sound with unmatched versatility and portability. The rugged roto-molded plastic cabinet was designed to stand upright, lie on an angle to act as a monitor, or be set up on a stand. All controls are safely recessed and a built-in hand grip eases portage of its 29 lb weight.

Various enclosures for the networking startups of Brix Networks, AmberWave (sold to US Robotics/3COM in 1996), NetICs (sold to Bay Networks/Nortel in 1996), plus major cost-reduction for Nashoba Networks (sold to Cisco Systems in 1996), two projects for Prominet Corp (sold to Lucent in 1997), and multiple projects for New Oak Communications (sold to Bay Networks/Nortel in 1998).

PixelVision's color flat panel systems, often with integrated touch sensors and X-terminals or embedded PCs in thin (under 3.75") packages. In 1993, we designed the first generation of these space-efficient systems that were hung on overhead arms at the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. (You see similar units today on nightly business reports.)

The Trotter 645/640 treadmill series for high-volume manufacturing with improved modularity for lower cost, ease of assembly, and servicing. Major parts were designed in sheet metal, structural foam and tubular steel weldments.

A custom laboratory equipment cart for PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences that exactly meets the rigidity, ventilation, and ease of component servicing requirements for their precision tabletop devices. (Image at right.)

Leaf System's LeafaxTM, the world's first portable 35mm electronic darkroom, which revolutionized the worldwide photojournalism industry in 1988. Well before today's digital cameras, it combined a precision 1200 dpi line scanner, custom electronics, keyboard, monitor and fax modem in an attache case, with key parts injection molded for lower cost, parts consolidation, and weight reduction.

TISCHLER RESOURCES