Mark Crawford, Contributing Writer01.29.18
As medical devices get smaller and more complex, and include more advanced or sensitive materials, machinists must have the technology and know-how to deliver the high-precision, tight-tolerance machining these components and parts require. OEM engineers continue to design products with finer features (for example, laser cuts as narrow as 0.0007 inches), which means machinists must stay ahead of the technology curve and be able to deliver the machining solution that wins the next project.
These complex geometries do, of course, create machining challenges. For example, “laser beam size or ‘kerf’ for cutting precision geometries must run at 0.0015-inch diameter or smaller to effectively create some of these components,” said David Philbrick, tech sales/business development manager for Economy Spring , an MW Industries company and Southington, Conn.-based manufacturer of precision products used in medical device instruments and surgical implants. “However, smaller certainly does not mean easier.”
To stay competitive
These complex geometries do, of course, create machining challenges. For example, “laser beam size or ‘kerf’ for cutting precision geometries must run at 0.0015-inch diameter or smaller to effectively create some of these components,” said David Philbrick, tech sales/business development manager for Economy Spring , an MW Industries company and Southington, Conn.-based manufacturer of precision products used in medical device instruments and surgical implants. “However, smaller certainly does not mean easier.”
To stay competitive
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