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Solsta
About us
Solsta is a technical, franchised electronic component supplier serving the needs of the electronics community in the UK and beyond.
Your Design and Manufacturing Partner
Solsta’s Special Projects division offers a complete end-to-end solution for optoelectronics, sensing and display technologies.
Building on our experience of supplying specialist components and displays, we can take your optoelectronic project or custom display assembly from an idea or concept, through specification, design, prototyping and pre-production into full production.
Whether you need a solution designed from scratch, are developing an existing design, or are looking to improve your manufacturing processes – collaborating with Solsta’s experienced team can help you reach a successful, well-engineered and profitable manufactured solution.
Products
Laser Rangefinder Receiver - Design and Manufacture Project
Our customer required a high-precision LRR that could accurately sense the returned pulse from the designator over a range of 100m to 10km. The challenge was to develop a unit that seamlessly integrated with the designator while providing accurate distance measurements based on pulse time of flight. Additionally, the LRR needed to be automatically co-aligned with the designator, ensuring accurate target acquisition and minimising setup time. In close collaboration with the customer, Solsta designed a custom LRR unit that perfectly integrated with the laser designator. The LRR utilised polished surfaces as datum points for automatic co-alignment when attached to the designator. Solsta developed a stack of three bespoke lenses and a notch filter to focus the returned pulse onto an avalanche photodiode, accurately capturing the signal while minimising background noise. Through the development of electronics and firmware in partnership with PhotonSync, the LRR effectively captured and processed the pulse chain signal, calculating the time of flight and providing precise range measurements to the designated target. Cost-Effective Outsourcing: Solsta was entrusted with the project management, design and production of the LRR, allowing them to allocate their internal design resources to the development of their core products. Solsta’s expertise in design, engineering and production, coupled with the customer's domain knowledge, resulted in a precision solution that enhanced the capabilities of their defence and security instruments.
Photocatalysis Instrument - Design and Manufacture Project
GSK, a prominent pharmaceutical company, sought to enhance the speed and yield of drug production through photocatalysis. Previous approaches using broad spectrum fluorescent lighting had yielded inconsistent results, and so GSK approached Solsta with a request to design an instrument capable of testing the optimal wavelength and power level of LED illumination for specific reactions in drug production. The challenge was to develop an instrument that could be used to determine the optimum wavelength and power level of LEDs for photocatalysis. The instrument should accommodate cassettes of 48 LEDs at single wavelengths, allowing for concurrent use of 48 sample vials. It should also enable the selection of specific power settings with continuous adjustment, support constant or pulsed light operation with a variable duty cycle, offer a range of wavelengths for direct comparison, and be compatible with both batch chemistry vials and flow chemistry plates. Working closely with the scientists at GSK, Solsta successfully designed an instrument that addressed these requirements. It features cassettes with 48 LEDs at single wavelengths assigned by GSK, enabling controlled test parameters. The optical power can be set to a specific level with continuous adjustment, and the LEDs can be operated in either constant or pulsed mode. An additional cassette using 24 LEDs provides balanced optical output power across six different wavelengths for direct comparison of results. The instrument is designed to accept housings for batch chemistry vials or a flow chemistry plate, accommodating different experimental setups. The instrument enables GSK to determine the optimum optical power and wavelength for photocatalysis of different chemistries, leading to increased drug yield while minimising byproduct generation. Solsta’s collaboration with GSK in this successful project showcases their expertise in developing customised instruments for pharmaceutical applications.
Laser Guidance for Robot - Design and Manufacture Project
Guidance Automation’s technology has been leveraged by state-of-the-art driverless vehicles for indoor warehouse usage for over three decades. The company approached Solsta to help develop a next generation laser guidance system to cut costs and improve resilience. Traditionally, robots have operated on the shop floor using a rotating LiDAR system that sent out a continuous beam – searching for retroreflector target surfaces in known locations, reflecting the signal back towards its source. This approach required a shop visit by the vendor or a surveyor to install reflectors (both initially and whenever the layout was changed), and the robot also needed a second, short-range laser scanner as a safety device. Today, these machines do not need mapped reflectors as the robots can self-map the warehouse without them. Guidance Automation wanted to combine this floorplan-agnostic guidance system laser with a laser capable of detecting all natural features. This would cut costs, improve product resilience and fully futureproof the company against threats from the competition. Guidance Automation lacked the internal resources and sector knowledge to take this optical system concept to the next step, so they turned to trusted partner Solsta whose Special Projects Group developed a range finder based on a pulsed laser and an avalanche photodiode (APD). The combination of these innovations, alongside clever software to pick the signal out of background noise, gives the sensitivity needed to determine the robot’s position against both a floorplan and those moving within it. Material costs for the unit are kept highly competitive. Combined with Solsta’s DFM approach to design which allows quick and efficient assembly at their Weymouth manufacturing plant, this innovative solution has a per-unit price which is lower than competing off-the-shelf solutions with lesser capabilities.
Urinalysis Spectrometer - Design Update and Manufacture
Siemens, a leading healthcare company, partnered with Solsta to address their needs for sourcing components for a spectrometer subassembly used in one of their urinalysis instruments. Solsta provided Siemens with necessary components such as LEDs and CCDs and facilitated an introduction to a subassembly manufacturer, managing the supply chain to deliver the completed subassembly to Siemens. When the subassembly manufacturer later closed down its production facility, Solsta proactively stepped in to remedy the situation by transferring the production of the subassembly in-house to their facility in Weymouth. During the transfer process, Solsta implemented several improvements to enhance the production process. They automated the die stamping and wire bonding processes, resulting in improved reliability and accuracy during assembly, and enhanced the qualification and test procedures, further reducing the possibility of errors or failures in the manufacturing process and increasing overall product reliability. Continued Production: By swiftly transferring the production of the subassembly to their own facility in Weymouth, Solsta ensured uninterrupted manufacturing for Siemens’ urinalysis instrument. Improved Production Process: Solsta’s automation of the die stamping and wire bonding processes led to enhanced reliability and accuracy during assembly. The automation reduced the potential for human error, leading to improved product quality and consistency. Solsta’s quality operating procedure certification for compliance with the ISO 13485 medical standard demonstrates their commitment to manufacturing high-quality medical devices. Solsta’s collaboration with Siemens exemplifies their ability to provide comprehensive solutions to complex challenges. By swiftly transferring production in-house and implementing process improvements, Solsta ensured the continuity of Siemens’ urinalysis instrument manufacturing.
Phototherapeutic Mask - DFM and NPI Project
The patented lightfusion™ photofacial system is a proven phototherapy treatment which energises skin cells, rejuvenates skin and helps to promote collagen and elastin which are essential for the fight against the aging process. The lightfusion system is a professional grade light emitting diode device for the treatment of periorbital wrinkles and pigmented skin. The lightfusion phototherapy mask incorporates LED devices that deliver an optimised and controlled level of red and near infra-red light, essential in boosting cellular processes and promoting healthier skin. The light emitted is red at 633nm+/-5nm, and NIR at 830nm+/-5nm. The small portable controller unit launches the treatment cycle at the touch of a button. The lightfusion™ LED is a new cost effective way to deliver advanced, non-invasive photofacials in a matter of minutes. We took lightfusion’s base design and applied “design for manufacture” processes, transforming it into a product that could be reliably produced in high volume. We created new firmware and circuit board layout for this novel LED device. Our Design and Build team offers a complete end-to-end solution for optoelectronic and display projects. Building on our experience of supplying specialist components and displays, we can take your optoelectronic project or custom display assembly from an idea or concept, through specification, design, prototyping and pre-production into full production.