Foster-Miller Is Now QinetiQ North America

Contract product design and development company Foster-Miller Inc. (Waltham, MA) announced at MD&M East that it has changed its name to QinetiQ North America (McLean, VA). The change marks the completion of four years of cobranding since QinetiQ's Technology Solutions Group acquired Foster-Miller. Consisting of more than 800 engineers and scientists, the group's staff provides services in such fields as biomedical, mechanical, and chemical engineering, as well as optics and robotics.The company is using its custom equipment and process design capabilities to provide medical device OEMs with more product development options. To extrude a stronger liquid crystal polymer (LCP) tube for medical applications, for example, the company designed and built a set of counter-rotating dies to be used with the extruder. As the film was extruded, the outer die gave a bias in one direction while the inner die gave a bias in the opposite direction. The combination of the three motions resulted in a tube with properties that could be tailored in terms of such parameters as strength and coefficient of thermal expansion, depending on the ratio of extrusion rate versus rotation rates. This specialized equipment increased the strength and reliability of the LCP tubing compared with LCP tubing that was made using a standard extruder, which was strong lengthwise but could be easily split in two.By combining the services and expertise of Foster-Miller and the QinetiQ Technology Solutions Group, QinetiQ North America also is equipped to develop disposable medical devices, orthopedic devices, and electronic components. The company has produced such products as bone-distraction devices, prosthetics, electromechanical systems, and integrated flex circuits for fabric platforms. Additionally, it offers implantable electronic packaging and high-volume medical device packaging services.