Picture of Health (Part Two)

This discussion continues Picture of Health (Part One), which takes a closer look at the innovation that fuels U.S. medical device manufacturing in an ongoing quest for better ways to treat and diagnose medical conditions and increase patient life expectancy. To maintain and improve their profitability against increasing competition, both OEMs and parts suppliers are remaking themselves with a competitive attitude of “never rest, never stand still” that keeps up with the latest manufacturing trends in the medical, pharmaceutical and dental market sectors of the healthcare industry.

To help these OEMs and parts suppliers improve on bidding for complex components used in medical devices, surgical instruments, apparatus, artificial limbs, operating room and hospital equipment, dental equipment, X-ray machines and more, here is some more of the latest fabrication machinery, machine tools, tooling and accessories that can help them grow their business at profitable price levels by giving them higher tolerance capabilities to process new and difficult materials at reduced operating cycles for reliable deliveries:

Redefining Digital Dentistry with Enhanced Patient Care
Using the NextDent 5100 3D printer powered by Figure 4 technology from 3D Systems, dental labs and clinics can produce dental devices up to 4X faster while reducing material waste, capital equipment expenditure, and reliance upon milling centers.

Compact, Cost Effective Linear Robot for Medical Devices with Strict Safety Requirements
The self-lubricating and maintenance-free drylin E linear robot from igus can carry loads up to 5.5 lb at maximum speeds up to 1.64 fps.

Vacuum Heat Treating System for Manufacturing Surgical Components
The TITAN H2 vacuum heat treating system with 2-bar gas quenching from Ipsen has an 18 in x 24 in x 18 in all-metal hot zone with a 1,000 lb load capacity and can operate at temperatures from 1,000 deg F to 2,400 deg with ±10 deg F uniformity.

CO2 Lenses and Mirrors for Precision Laser Engraving of Medical and Dental Instruments
CO2 Precision Marking Lenses from Laser Research Optics come in 0.5 in to 1.5 in sizes with focal lengths from 1 in to 25 in at 0.5 in increments with < 0.2 percent total absorption values to keep them cooler.

Advanced Systems for Medical Device Manufacturing
The TruLaser Cell 3000 5-axis laser machine from TRUMPF quickly and easily switches between fine cutting with up to 8 kW of solid-state laser power, precision welding with a wire feeder, or laser metal deposition for cladding or adding volume and structures to small or medium-sized 2D or 3D components.

How to Maximize Precision Output of Small, Complex Medical Parts
The Quicktech S-32 ATM 9-axis twin spindle mill/turn center from Absolute Machine Tools combines integral-motor main- and sub-spindles with a 190 deg B-axis milling head and a fast automatic tool changer.

Nano Level Precision Control for Micro-Machining, Laser Processing and Inspection of Medical Components
The Hybrid Hexapod from ALIO combines a precision XY monolithic stage, tripod, and continuous rotation theta-Z axis for superior performance in precision, path performance, speed, stiffness and a larger work envelope with virtually unlimited XY travel and fully programmable tool center point locations with less than 100 Nm 3D 6-axis Point Precision repeatability.

Smart Machining of Medical Implants, Medical Components and More
The Mikron MILL S 400 U from GF Machining Solutions provides levels of reliability, traceability and accuracy that are ideal for mold and die machining, as well as post-processing parts and molds produced with additive manufacturing systems.

CNC Centerless Grinding of Higher Precision Medical Components
Using intelligent controls, the GT-610 CNC centerless grinding system from Glebar provides high horsepower, strong rigidity and superior slide positioning for grinding multiple parts per cycle on a 10 in or 12 in diameter grinding wheel.

High Speed, Ultra-Compact, Dual-Axis Rotary Table for Machining Small Complex Medical Parts
The TRT70 dual-axis rotary table from Haas easily fits the smallest machining center or mounts on one end of a larger machine’s table, freeing up the remainder for additional fixtures or vises.

Automated Precision Milling of Surgical Instruments and Medical Components
Featuring a 320 mm diameter NC swiveling rotary table with a multi-clamp system, the working area of a high performance Hermle C 22 U 5-axis machining center is used by Fetzer Medical to machine surgical instruments and complex medical components to customer specifications.

How to Aggressively Tackle Full Five-Side Machining of Increasingly Complex Medical and Dental Parts
The DA300 5-axis vertical machining center from Makino is ideal for single setup, multi-side accessibility or quick and efficient full-contouring of a wide variety of complex medical and dental products.

Micro-Precise High Speed Machining of Medical and Dental Instruments
With temperature-controlled cooling oil circulating through its integral 45,000 rpm, HSK-E40 spindle, the Ultimate Die and Mold 400/5X Vertical Machining Center from Mazak is powered by an 18.5 hp motor that ensures stability over long periods of high-speed operation.

High Precision Contour Machining of Medical Components
The PJ812 Precision Profile Center from Mitsui Seiki is a three-axis CNC vertical jig mill for high precision contour machining and ultra-precise boring of medical components with critical tolerances.

Advanced Swiss Turning for Medical Device Manufacturing
The Traub TNL20 sliding/fixed headstock automatic lathe from INDEX adds numerous improvements to productivity, precision, and automation in medical device manufacturing.

High Precision Gundrilling of Bone Screws, Surgical Instruments and Other Medical Components
Using a counter-rotating workpiece headstock that greatly enhances concentricity on small parts, the UNE6 gundrilling machine from UNISIG is ideal for drilling bone screws and surgical instruments made of high strength titanium or surgical-grade stainless steel.

Precision Chemical Machining of Titanium Medical Implantable Parts
Chemically machined titanium parts from Photofabrication Engineering match exact OEM design requirements, including varying depths and intricate patterns, with exact part-to-part and batch-to-batch repeatability.