Medical & Healthcare

PI (Physik Instrumente) delivers a family of compact linear and rotary stages driven by ceramic direct-drive motors. The patented ultrasonic motors provide smooth motion with high resolution and a high dynamic range.

Photo etching is a fast, efficient and cost-effective method for the manufacture of small precision metal parts using etchant chemistries. It is well-suited for development, prototype and production volumes, and has the ability to ramp up from low- to high-volume runs extremely quickly.

FANUC's new SCARA robots feature high-speed, precise operation for pick and place, assembly, testing/inspection and packaging processes in a wide range of industries including consumer electronics, auto component, plastics, food and beverage, lab automation, appliances and medical device manufacturing. A compact, lightweight design provides significant space savings.

NUM's latest-generation CNC systems are helping the Star Cutter Co. to maintain its position as a world leader in cutting tool machines. Star Cutter's new 5-axis tool and cutter grinding machine – the NTG 6RL – is based entirely on NUM's Flexium+ CNC platform, and fully automates the high-speed production and reconditioning of complex cutting tools.

With the usability of 6-axis hexapods increasing in research and industry applications, PI introduces a new medium-load 6-axis precision motion platform, the H-825 hexapod. The H-825 provides a self-locking load capacity up to 30 kg (66 lbs).

MTD Micro Molding, Charlton, Mass., which specializes in microinjection molding for the medical device industry, has made a significant investment to expand its overmolding services.

By using CO2 as a process coolant, the cost-efficiency of machining can be significantly improved. With its quattroClean system, acp has developed a solution suitable for use in serial productions.

Manufacturing technology orders in September continued their upward trend, ending the third quarter on a strong note. According to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report, bookings for September 2017 were up 6 percent from August and posted a year-to-date figure 5 percent higher than the first nine months of 2016.

The compact, high-precision Quicktech S-32 ATM 9-axis, twin-spindle mill/turn center combines integral-motor main- and sub-spindles with a 190° B-axis milling head and a fast automatic toolchanger to maximize output of small, complex parts. Quicktech machines are distributed in North America exclusively by Absolute Machine Tools Inc.

The CrazyMill Cool products have been developed by the Swiss tool manufacturer Mikron Tool for milling in small dimensions with high performance and quality. Now a new "family member" has been added. It is a four-teeth finishing milling cutter with shank integrated cooling, available in the diameter range of 1 to 8 mm und for milling depths of up to 5 diameters deep.

Rollomatic Inc. hosted an open house Nov. 7-9 at its headquarters in Mundelein, Ill. In addition to displaying the latest Rollomatic and Strausak grinding machines, as well as a Platit tool coating machine, the event offered attendees an opportunity see a demonstration of Rollomatic's software for Industry 4.0.

User error is a more common cause of unplanned downtime in the manufacturing sector than almost any other sector, according to a new Vanson Bourne global study, sponsored by ServiceMax from GE Digital. Unplanned downtime triggered by user error is 23% compared to as low as 9% in other sectors. (And did that robot just snicker?)