Case Studies Delta Development Creates a Portable Medical Refrigerator to Help Wounded Troops

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	Delta Development Creates a Portable Medical Refrigerator to Help Wounded Troops

Delta Development Creates a Portable Medical Refrigerator to Help Wounded Troops

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
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. Read More
About 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. Read More
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. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

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

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.

About 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.

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.

Impact #1	Multiple engineers are able to simultaneously work on the same 3D CAD model, versus being forced to work on a design file one person at a time.
Impact #2	Onshape enables remote product development work and more frequent design reviews.
Impact #3	The APRU is currently deployed with military medical teams including the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the U.S. Army Rangers, and Canadian Special Operations Forces (CANSOF).

Impact #1

Multiple engineers are able to simultaneously work on the same 3D CAD model, versus being forced to work on a design file one person at a time.

Impact #2

Onshape enables remote product development work and more frequent design reviews.

Impact #3

The APRU is currently deployed with military medical teams including the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the U.S. Army Rangers, and Canadian Special Operations Forces (CANSOF).

Benefit #1	Reclaimed 20% of design time due to reduced IT overhead.
Benefit #2	The compact 29-pound unit is 19” wide x 10” high x 10” deep.
Benefit #3	The rechargeable battery lasts for 80 hours.

Benefit #1

Reclaimed 20% of design time due to reduced IT overhead.

Benefit #2

The compact 29-pound unit is 19” wide x 10” high x 10” deep.

Benefit #3

The rechargeable battery lasts for 80 hours.

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Overview

Delta Development Creates a Portable Medical Refrigerator to Help Wounded Troops

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit