It has been almost 2 years since the constant demand for affordable food freeze-drying equipment drove us to become a supplier and manufacturer of our own device. Actually, for the longest time of our project's existence we were developers rather than manufacturers. But that is about to change. And that's why it's probably the best time for a little look back and a general answer to the questions we've been getting from friends and strangers alike.
If we ever wondered during development what it would be like when we said, "Okay, now we're done."? Actually, not at all. There wasn't much time for that. Rather, we were figuring out on a daily basis where and how to get the different components and how to plug them together to make them work. It was kind of clear to us that development is ultimately just the first step, and the launch of the actual product is where all the "fun" begins.
What was our biggest concern all along? That has changed over time. First and foremost, we wondered if it would work. Theory is a beautiful thing, and hand on heart - when you know how a baking oven works, you don't have 100% certainty when building your own. When it soon became apparent that the Lyon (prototype) was working beyond our expectations, our biggest fear was the unknown - certification by the state testing institute. None of us had anyone in our immediate area who had been a manufacturer and gone through a similar process, so we were terrified at the thought of hundreds of thousands invested being crushed, cooked, or otherwise ruined in destructive testing.
What have we learned in the development process? That would at least be an article in itself. Take me - I don't want to claim that I learned to weld and work with a grinder, but at least I lost my aversion to these tools. Pavel managed to get quite deep into the firmware and source codes of which the user has only the touch control unit in front of his eyes. And Honza is richer with knowledge of several EU directives and could also see that sometimes he is stricter on himself (and us) than those directives :) However, if I had to pick something for one sentence, it would probably be "There is power in precision". It may have cost us some nerves at times, but by the method of one making a part and the others evaluating it, we have put together a machine that we trust ourselves and know is ready for anything. Sometimes that meant redoing a part or component several times, but if it wasn't recognized by others, it just didn't make it into the final instrument. That's how the design, the vacuum distribution, the complete control system, and in fact the entire wiring system was created.
What's next? We took a break in the first two weeks of the summer holidays, but now it's probably a good time for a spell called "Marketing". Together we need to discuss where we can showcase AMARU, where we can pay for a banner, etc. And in our spare time we would also like to take advantage of the ripening season and stock ourselves with enough freeze-dried fruit and vegetables for the winter.
Of course, we are also continuing to work with some serious interested parties to test the process with their product. We ourselves want to be sure that the intended freeze-drying process will not only work, but that it will also work out economically for the user. So even if you are not planning to buy AMARU in the next week or so, feel free to contact us with your questions and perhaps we can arrange to test lyophilization directly with your sample.