Medical & Healthcare

As a precision sheet metal machining technology, photo etching achieves exacting tolerances, is highly repeatable and in many instances is the only technology that can cost-effectively manufacture precision metal components with the accuracy necessary in demanding and often safety critical applications.

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., has named Ellison Technologies Inc., Los Angeles, as its distributor to serve customers in two regions in the upper Midwest.

Optoflash is the newest and fastest addition to the Marposs' optical measuring line and can measure small-size shafts, fasteners and dental implants. Its robust external structure allows the Optoflash to perform static and dynamic measurements in the production environment with the same quality as it does in the lab, according to the company.

For today's manufacturers of precision components, there's no getting around deburring, rounding and polishing. These production steps are often seen as a necessary evil due to the high costs associated with them in some cases. Use of the right technology permits reliable processing at reduced costs.

The 6 S system is a modified version of the lean manufacturing principle of 5 S. Developed by Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer for Toyota, lean production is a systemic method designed to optimize the efficiency of a business.

Stents and tubes are used in countless medical devices and new ones are being added every day, fueled in part by the growth of minimally invasive surgery and the commonplace use of stents.

Every so often a job or part geometry comes along where it would be helpful to have a few extra inches in a machine's work envelope, or perhaps a little higher rpm or an additional spindle. At these and certain other times, it might be worth considering a custom machine.

Skills Inc. is a unique nonprofit manufacturing company that serves the aerospace industry and is dedicated to helping people with disabilities thrive in today's manufacturing environment.

Resharpening dull taps by hand is probably not a good idea when you could be making parts. Plus, a thorough reconditioning requires a grinder designed for grinding the actual tap form. So resharpening dull taps is one job best left to the experts.

GF Machining Solutions says its new AgieCharmilles CUT P Series of wire EDMs provides users precise positioning and contouring capabilities for enhanced part quality and productivity. The CUT P 350/550/800/1250 machines feature efficient power generators, robust designs and intuitive human-machine interfaces (HMIs), as well as several automation options for lights-out operation.

Marposs offers its high-accuracy Mida Diamond touch probes, which feature piezo-electric technology and are designed for 5-axis machining centers and milling machines. These probes, available in optical or radio transmission styles, provide enhanced measurement performance on 3D surfaces with repeatability within 0.25 µm and are well-suited to industries where precision requirements are pushed to the limits daily, such as die and mold, aerospace, aeronautics and biomedical.

Metal laser melting is used in many sectors. The advantages of the technology over machining not only lead to peak performances in motor sports and aerospace, but even pave the way for ground-breaking success in the medical technology sector.