Although the design of experiments method was invented in the 1920s, it remained dormant because of laborious hand calculations for even the simplest of experiments. Until the number-crunching capability of PCs became widespread, DOE languished in mathematics departments. Today, however, DOE software easily sets up and analyzes statistically sound DOEs in just hours - drastically faster than the months spent testing only a handful of factors using the traditional method. Hefty monetary savings are the norm.
Forma Scientific's cooling unit, approximately 3 ft high by 1 ft by 1 ft, is a critical component that sits within a blood analyzer being built by Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson company. To do its job well, the cooler's specification called for a constant 6°C temperature with enough capacity to remove heat introduced during operation.