About MAPLabsMAPL has been serving the Puget Sound region since 2019. The lab is locally owned by Kristofer S. Weisshaupt, a University of Washington Bioengineering educated Materials Scientist with a decade of experience solving manufacturing and material failures. Major industries served include: Medical Imaging and Surgical Device Manufacturing, Aerospace & Automotive Investigatory Material Identification, and Construction Material Analysis.
History in the Materials Analysis Industry Kristofer S. Weisshaupt - Founder MAPL kris.weisshaupt@maplaboratory.net I got my start in the R&D and failure analysis industry in 2014. I was in the right place at the right time and had the skills necessary to solve a series of simple, though progressively more interesting medical device failure modes. The first case involved a manufacturer that had been struggling with failures of an elastomeric component of their device for 2+ years. 2 minutes of infrared molecular spectroscopy (FTIR) was enough to clue me into what the problem was. The material failure was caused by diffusion of monomeric plasticizer from a vinyl packaging material into the endoscope. A couple quick FTIR scans and a little bit of materials knowledge went a long ways with this project:
Those 2 minutes of FTIR analysis (and follow-up GCMS, Tensile/Tear testing, reporting totaling ~1 week) demonstrated the need for a safety recall affecting roughly $10 million worth of endoscopes and launched my career in the medical device industry. After a few more successful investigations I became the go-to person for problem solving, reliability studies, novel materials R&D, reverse engineering, and process optimization. 2 minutes of the right person looking at the problem could have saved 2 years of troubleshooting by a team of engineers, PhD Chemists, and University staff. I’ve seen this scenario play out many times. The combination of the right person, the right tools, and good communication can often resolve failure modes in a matter of days instead of months. A big part of what I do is help to demonstrate to Electrical and Mechanical engineers how some of these materials/chemistry analyses can help expedite their product development and troubleshooting. A few examples (not including reporting time):
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History & Commitment to QualityKristofer S. Weisshaupt - Founder MAPL
I embrace being a guide in the materials analysis process. My goal is to help you reach your objectives as quickly and responsibly as possible. Sometimes that means my role is to recommend other solutions including alternate test labs that are better suited for your projects. I try to be candid when recommending tests to help you to understand: what each instrument can and cannot provide, what the results mean, and the likelihood of reaching a complete answer by each technique. One of my favorite compliments to hear from clients is "we learn something every time we talk to you!" Some company quality commitments are buzzwords with no underlying dedication. I've seen firsthand how flexible some leaders can be with these commitments and I've witnessed the dangerous outcomes. Rather than giving you a flowery description of my commitment to quality, let me share some of my background and the steps I've taken to fulfill my commitment to doing work we can be proud of: Early in my career I saw some extremely troubling test methods. Things that were dangerous to society. Things you wouldn't think could possibly happen at ISO accredited laboratories. My first job in industry was working for an elderly lab owner who was overwhelmed with the responsibilities that come with operating a test lab. He was being taken advantage of by a couple clients and a Quality Manager who realized that they could get whatever they wanted if they just smiled and told him what he wanted to hear. For some this meant being paid a salary while doing bad or no work. For others it meant securing kickbacks, tuition payments, or VISA applications & employment for family members. My success in the first 6 months building up a client base of medical device manufacturers eager to come to me for help led me to stay when I really should have quit. By sticking around, I learned how ineffective companies of all sizes can be when addressing kickbacks/corruption/quality concerns. I started MAPL so that I could have the financial freedom to avoid corruption, achieve higher levels of quality & ethics, help others recognize and avoid corruption, and take better care of the instruments I’d purchased. The standards of the leadership set the tone for the entire company. It has been my experience that ISO systems do not fundamentally change the nature of company leaders. Good leaders make good decisions regardless of the ISO requirements and bad leaders have no qualms operating outside of their ISO 9001/17025 quality agreements. MAPL focuses not only on continuing support for medical device R&D, materials development, process optimization, and reliability testing, but upon request can help companies recognize and correct quality & ethics compliance violations. MAPL has developed several resources to aid those in positions of responsibility to better understand the importance of the roles they serve. This includes hundreds of hours sharing quality management failure analyses with UW Students & Professors, accreditation agencies, auditors, business leaders, quality managers, regulatory bodies, and laboratory staff. |