The Startup Story of Chipsetter

Join The Forge@Mac and the McMaster Departments of Engineering Physics, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Mechatronics to hear Alan Sawula, Founder and CEO, Chipsetter speak about The Startup Story of Chipsetter on Thursday, January 19th, 2017 from Noon-1pm.

Chipsetter’s goal is to goal is to democratize the electronics playing field, by allowing electronics developers to assemble their circuit boards in-house, saving them time and money. Their flagship product, the Chipsetter ONE, is a reliable and affordable desktop pick-and-place machine that allows for rapid prototyping and low volume manufacturing.

Alan Sawula is the founder and CEO of Chipsetter. Familiar with the challenges inherent in prototype circuit board assembly, and inspired by the emergence of desktop 3D printers, as an undergraduate engineering student Sawula set out to find a way to bring high-tech industrial manufacturing technology to the electronics workbench. Encouraged by an outpouring of online support for an early prototype shared on YouTube, Sawula continued to develop initial prototypes during graduate school. After graduating, Sawula incorporated Chipsetter, secured a $35,000 grant, refined the prototype, and grew the team to four exceptional members. After two years of development, Chipsetter is releasing the Chipsetter ONE. Sawula has been identified in BIZ Magazine Q2 2015 as one of Hamilton’s ‘Ones to Watch’. Sawula holds a B. Eng. in Mechatronics Engineering and a M.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, both from McMaster University.