Medical Inspection

Medical device and orthopedic implant manufacturers must meet ever-tighter tolerances, ensure 100 percent product conformity and collect complete device history and product documentation. This involves a wide range of inspections and measurements of the parts being produced in the shop, such as repeatedly checking hip stems against a template during grinding and polishing. Optical comparators have traditionally been used to check parts like these directly on the shop floor because they have been the easiest way to quickly compare a part to its drawing and make a pass/fail determination.

But the unceasing advancement of medical technologies that require ultra-precision manufacturing of highly complex parts is driving demand for significant improvement in inspection systems that measure parts quickly, eliminate all possible sources of measurement error and, at the same time, reduce the inspection costs of the shop. Contract manufacturers that are making parts for medical instruments, hip and knee implants, bone screws, spinal implants and other medical devices must measure and compare parts faster, with higher precision, and generate and integrate all types of inspection and measurement records for the production history of a given part. Here are some of the newest systems available to help them do that.

Ultra-High Accuracy CNC Coordinate Measuring Machine
The LEGEX 4 CNC CMM from Mitutoyo can measure ultra-precise molds, aspherical lenses and parts for medical instruments, and calibrate master gages for research institutes.

Video Measuring Microscopes
The MarVision MM 320 from Mahr Federal accurately inspects small medical parts down to miniaturized electronic components with extreme measuring precision.

Measure Delicate Medical Materials with Accuracy, Not Force
Using optical encoder technology to maintain thermal stability and a high accuracy of ±0.2 µm, the Zero-Force Metro Length Gauge from Heidenhain is ideal for measuring malleable materials in medical devices.

Miniature Incremental Optical Encoder for Inspection and Metrology
The ATOM non-contact optical linear and rotary incremental encoder system from Renishaw delivers unrivaled metrology performance and class-leading accuracy, with low Sub-Divisional Error (SDE), low jitter and long-term reliability.