How Picodya accelerates point-of-care diagnostics development with 3D printing

Customer Profile

Picodya is a medical technology company that develops hybrid, multiplexed platforms for point-of-care diagnostics and research. Its approach automates and scales down laboratory processes for liquid handling and biological assays so complex testing can be done in as little as 15 minutes.

Challenge

Picodya's diagnostic platform requires mechanics, fluid handling, electronics, disposable cassettes, custom assay plates, seals, and biological materials to work together precisely. With conventional manufacturing, even a small custom part could take days to weeks, while standard machining or tooling could stretch into months. Multiplied across repeated design cycles, the accumulated delay would have added years to development. The company needed a way to keep complex diagnostic development moving.

Solution

Picodya adopted a multi-technology Stratasys 3D printing workflow, combining PolyJet™ and Origin® P3™ DLP as complementary development tools.

• PolyJet for tight-tolerance machine parts, wet-application components, cassette elements, custom plates, jigs, and fixtures — enabling fit, sealing, and mechanical integration testing in the actual development system.
• Origin P3 DLP with MED Silicone 25A for iterating thin gasket geometries and sealing elements during proof-of-design work — eliminating the need to commit to a mold before validating the design.
• Biological assay testing on 3D printed custom plates — giving the team a way to evaluate both geometry and biological performance before investing in production molds.

Impact

By bringing additive manufacturing in-house, Picodya turned months of waiting into days of rapid iteration, keeping both mechanical and biological development moving in parallel.

Key benefits include:

• ~2 years of accumulated development time saved. Parts that once took up to two months to manufacture are now produced in days, and some iterations within hours.
• Up to 90% cost reduction on complex parts . Small components that previously cost tens to hundreds of dollars now cost just a few dollars to print.
• Fewer failed experiments. A quickly printed cassette-insertion fixture eliminated operator variability, protecting both experimental time and expensive biological materials
• Faster proof of concept. Engineers can test ideas without waiting for full optimization, enabling a continuous design-print-test-refine rhythm across the entire team.