Small Cures
Swiss-type CNC machines help shops meet the medical industry's needs.
Industry
Medical & Healthcare
Smooth Medicine
Medical-part makers share their secrets for holding the line on costs.
Prescription for Perfection
Making Medical Parts: Profile of an Implant Manufacturer
Managed Fluid Care
Managing the machining of medical parts includes tracking cutting fluids.
Smooth Operators
The finishing options for medical components.
Dry Out
As the government publishes ever-stricter regulations for metalworking fluids, more shops try dry machining. The author examines the cost benefits of machining dry and looks at the various types of tool materials designed to enhance dry-machining applications.
Freer Thinking
This article describes a self-contained micromachining center. The unit uses PC-based controls and a video system to machine small parts with precision, while giving the machinist a magnified view for setup and prototyping.
Good News About Eta Phase
The presence of an eta phase between a coating and the substrate is generally considered harmful to coating adhesion. However, this article argues that when the formation of the eta phase is carefully controlled, it can actually enhance adhesion. The conditions that promote the formation of beneficial eta phase are explained.
Understanding EDMed Surfaces
EDMing removes material at such high temperatures that the process produces metallurgical changes in the material surrounding the cut. This article discusses the various surface effects and how they can be detected and measured. It also reviews the different methods for correcting or removing the surface flaws and roughness caused by EDMing.
Eye on Ions
Ion implantation bombards a tool's surface with accelerated metal ions. According to this article, the process increases tool life and the performance of tool coatings. Two theories explaining why the process works are also discussed.