Design, prototype and testing of equipment for applying flock onto swab sticks for collection of biological specimens

On February 2nd, 2020, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidelines for collecting clinical specimens when novel coronavirus infection is suspected in human subjects; these guidelines include the use of synthetic fibre swabs, with plastic shafts: these are know as "flocked" swabs. One of the major causes of the delays in coronavirus testing throughout the world is the huge demand for testing swabs far outstripping the existing production capacity available from only a very few manufacturers, with no production capacity in the UK.

Campbell Coutts Ltd (CCL) is the UK's leading and longest established supplier of flocking equipment and consumables; we design and manufacture small and large scale equipment for the application of flock fibres onto a variety of substrates, for numerous industrial uses.

On completion of this project CCL will have designed, concept tested and created a working prototype of an innovative piece of equipment capable of electrostatically applying flock fibres to swab sticks, creating effective diagnostic testing swabs for the collection and release of biological specimens.

We will develop the technology and design the machine capability for bulk-loaded test swab sticks to have nylon flock fibres applied and cured, at a production rate of 6,000 to 10,000 per hour in a clean environment,

We will complete the design and concept testing of a prototype within 3 months. Subsequently, finished production units can be produced within 10 weeks, for organisations who wish to produce and distribute flocked swabs for medical testing.

We will also be able to supply the adhesive and flock fibres required.

The EXTENSION FOR IMPACT FUNDING will extend the positive impacts of the project and increase speed to market by allowing us to contract professional service providers in the following 2 areas:

1. A marketing consultant will be briefed and engaged to carry out market research and produce a report into the international market for nasopharyngeal flocked swabs and swab production equipment, identifying key players (potential competitors, customers and influencers), routes to market, market characteristics, size and growth projections. This will allow the company to develop a marketing plan to take advantage of market opportunities in a structured manner. To date, we have been fully occupied responding reactively to enquiries for swab-flocking equipment from numerous new prospects (and designing the machinery and fulfilling orders) without in-depth knowledge of this particular market. We do not have internal marketing expertise, nor the time to carry out this research. We are aware that flocked-swab production capacity in the UK is minimal, with a huge reliance on imported swabs from non-UK suppliers; as a priority, with the UK market intelligence obtained, we plan to focus on playing a part in establishing greater production capacity in the UK through collaboration with key biomedical testing equipment suppliers, pharmaceutical companies and public health influencers. As part of the research project we also intend to purchase a recently published report entitled: Global Disposable Flocking Swab Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2026.

2. An intellectual property expert will be consulted to assist in identifying IP protection opportunities (patents, trademarks and designs) and advice on the costs and procedures involved in making IP applications, should we determine it worthwhile as part of the future business plan.