RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Product & Process Development
From development to commercialization, Lorad applies materials science expertise to refine products and processes for practical use.
We work with customers to improve performance, resolve technical challenges, and move promising materials and processes toward safe, efficient, and cost effective production.
Product Development
Refine material composition, properties, and performance for a defined application.
Process Development
Improve synthesis routes, operating conditions, efficiency, consistency, and manufacturability.
Path to Scale Up
Develop practical processes with future larger scale and recurring production in mind.
FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Turning technical knowledge into a workable product or process
Product and process development applies knowledge gained through research and experimentation to move a material or manufacturing process toward a practical commercial application.
Once an application has been identified, development typically focuses on refining the material or process so that it can be produced efficiently, safely, consistently, and at a scale appropriate to the intended use.
Customers do not need to begin with Lorad at the basic research stage. Lorad can join a project during early development, help investigate technical challenges, improve an existing product or process, or assist with the transition toward commercialization.
Development Team
Lorad brings together scientists, engineers, and technicians with decades of practical experience in inorganic materials, process development, and chemical manufacturing.
Development services may be purchased independently and do not require the purchase of Lorad manufactured products.
DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES
Material Development
Develop and refine inorganic compositions for targeted properties or applications.
Process Optimization
Evaluate process variables to improve yield, quality, repeatability, and efficiency.
Technical Problem Solving
Investigate and resolve technical issues that emerge during product or process development.
Commercialization Planning
Develop with future manufacturing requirements and scale up considerations in view.
HOW DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSES
Define the Objective
Identify the target material, process, performance requirement, and commercial goal.
Develop and Test
Design experiments, evaluate process routes, and test material or process performance.
Refine the Process
Improve operating conditions, consistency, safety, efficiency, and reproducibility.
Prepare for Scale Up
Establish a practical development path toward larger scale or recurring production.
EXAMPLES
Development work that progressed into practical materials and processes
Focused Energy Synthesis
Lorad developed an efficient Focused Energy Synthesis process used to produce commercial quantities of nanoscale materials, including materials with particle sizes as small as approximately 25 nanometers.
Silver Activated Zinc Sulfide
Lorad developed a silver activated zinc sulfide phosphor for a customer application involving neutron detection devices.
High Purity Lithium Sulfide
Lorad developed a process for the efficient manufacture of larger quantities of high purity lithium sulfide.
Development with Manufacturing in Mind
Product and process development is most valuable when laboratory success can ultimately be translated into a repeatable production method.
When a development program reaches that point, Lorad can continue the work through scalable manufacturing and recurring production.
Scalable ManufacturingCONFIDENTIALITY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Protecting customer development work
Product and process development can involve valuable proprietary information and potential intellectual property. Lorad offers standard nondisclosure, confidentiality, patent rights, and ownership agreements, or customers may provide their own agreements for review.
RELATED SERVICES
Developing a new material or process?
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