1. What is the ideal part for an INDEX multi-spindle machine?

To know what type of parts are best for a multi-spindle, shops really have to ask themselves some very important questions. Can I hold the part in my hand? Can it be machined from bar stock? How complex is the turned part and what tolerances to I have to hold? Do I need to combine multiple operations?

Most importantly, shops need to ask themselves if they want to change and if they’re willing to change. Investing in a multi-spindle is not an easy choice to make, so shops have to be willing to put in the work to maximize their returns.

2. Can INDEX multi-spindles handle the complexity and tight tolerances required in medical manufacturing?

Over the years, customers have commented to me about the supreme accuracy of INDEX multi-spindles. Throughout the work week, and even from shutdown on Friday night to Monday morning startup, we are holding accuracy!

Our machines are able to maintain this accuracy thanks to several key features. Hydrostatically-supported Z-axis tool slides and fluid-cooled spindles provide high thermal stability while Hirth couplings lock the spindle drum and synchronous spindles in place.

INDEX has a proven track record in the medical manufacturing industry with many successful installs. Our medical customers are utilizing all the above to produce complex spinal components at rates never achieved until now, all thank to the INDEX multi-spindle platform.

3. How does a shop justify the cost of an INDEX multi-spindle machine?

This justification starts with vastly improved cycle times over the alternative solutions. We have converted many single-spindle shops to multi-spindle users, saving them overhead expenses and, of course, cost per part.

For example, spinal implants were made on Swiss lathes for years with 11-15 minute cycle times. Now, the medical manufacturing industry is commoditized with high- volume part demands and cost reductions at a premium. Enter the INDEX multi-spindle! Parts are machined in as little as 2 to 4 minutes. The best part…QUALITY HAS IMPROVED!

4. What are the lot size requirements with an INDEX multi-spindle machine?

Lot sizes can start as small as 50 pieces and go up to over a million. It’s about the bar diameter and a family of parts that have similar features. For example, part complexity that allows a 12-second cycle time will produce 300 parts per hour. At 5,000 working hours per year, that’s 1.5 million pieces annually.

I have witnessed INDEX customers running smaller lot sizes before moving to another part number later that day. When it comes to the larger volume projects typical of dedicated transfer-style machines, INDEX has a solution for this as well! Our dual synchron configuration offers options to produce two parts at once, slicing your cycle time in half!

5. What are some of the advantages to an INDEX multi-spindle machine over Swiss-type machines?

There are countless advantages to choosing the INDEX MS platform. Think of the INDEX MS as a package of productivity. Six or eight three-axis lathes in one!

In the heyday of “cellular manufacturing,” companies would push machines together to reduce the workforce it took to run said product. One operator would be responsible for all operations instead of spreading tasks out to people across the shop. One multi-spindle is doing this compared to multiple Swiss machines. I have seen one MS machine replace 4 to 6 Swiss machines.

This conversion is taking on all the issues that shop owners have today… skilled labor, facility costs, quality issues, growing volumes etc…

No industry knows this better than medical…Swiss machines have been the rule here, but as this business gets more competitive…things are changing!

For more information: https://us.index-traub.com

Manufacturing implants, bone nails, tibia components, micro scissors, and surgical instruments demand components with a high level of flexibility and quality. Clamping devices must be modular and cover a wide range of workpieces to meet these requirements. With workpiece clamping devices that offer functionality, efficiency, and compatibility, manufacturers can achieve rapid and precise results.

1. Lathe chucks for femoral head prosthesis

The workpieces used for prosthesis are especially sensitive to deformation. If the clamping forces are too low, it’s difficult to achieve a safe hold. If clamping forces are too high, parts can deform and don’t have the required precision.

As a solution, workpiece deformation is precisely calculated via finite element method (FEM), and the clamping solution is adjusted accordingly. The ROTA THW3 quick-change chuck, and ROTA NCR-A 6-jaw chuck can be used to achieve optimum results in this type of application.

2. 5-axis machining of implants with quick change pallet system combined with self-centering vise for workpiece clamping

In 5-axis machining of implants, which uses a wide range of workpieces, accessibility to the workpiece is paramount and set-up time needs to be as quick and accurate as possible.

Production efficiency and set-up time is considerably reduced when a self-centering vise clamping system is combined with a quick-change pallet system. This allows for full use of the existing machine’s performance without depending on quantity or workpiece requirements.

3. Producing bone nails with tombstones

A solution to this difficult machining task might be to use a tombstone, which provides the foundation for achieving best machining results. With a wide range of clamping options and loading densities, machine running times are increased significantly. A tombstone also allows for optimum workpiece accessibility, consistently high clamping forces, and high packing density.

4. Using a self-centering vise for sled prostheses

Setup on a clamping pallet or pyramid ensures this manual direct clamping vise offers maximum precision and high repeat accuracy on both clamping station and workpiece. It’s perfectly suited for automated machine tools.

5. Producing different sizes of titanium tibia components for knee implants

The method of clamping different sizes and types of tibia components using tombstones with TANDEM vises provides consistent clamping due to the use of pneumatic clamping blocks. It allows for simple and fast loading and unloading via a toggle switch as well as fast and simple setup using the jaw quick-change feature. A total of 12 clamping units also increases spindle efficiency.

For more information about how SCHUNK products are specifically suited to the medical industry, visit Schunk's website and you can also view the Solutions for Medical Technology brochure.

Essentium Inc. has released findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. Findings show that even as the industry moves toward large-scale additive manufacturing (AM), 28% of manufacturers reported their personnel lacked AM skills.

The survey highlighted continued optimism among manufacturing executives in the potential of industrial-scale 3D printing to save billions in manufacturing costs (90% agree), drive competitive advantage (84% agree), and economic advantage (85% agree).

However, realizing this vision requires change and development throughout the workforce. The most imperative organizational change cited was designers’ expertise (55%), followed by a mindset shift among production teams (44%), and evolving procurement strategies (38%).

Almost one-third of respondents (29%) said they wanted their finance teams to develop a deeper understanding of AM’s cost and value implications, while 26% said it was important to re-educate procurement teams on buying materials for 3D printing rather than focusing on component assets.

As AM increases globally, Essentium is supporting industry partners, customers, and academia to grow a skilled workforce through targeted education and training. This includes enabling engineering designers to design for AM by adopting new principles to optimize a part’s functionality while reducing material, time, and cost. Essentium also supports customers by providing education around procurement and finance strategies and how AM will impact the supply chain. https://www.essentium.com

Most COVID-19 vaccines require two doses, equating to roughly 11 billion doses to defeat the virus, and it’s likely that other booster doses will be required to guarantee immunity to virus variants. These doses must be packaged in glass vials, either tubular or molded, which are made of Type 1 borosilicate glass, a chemically inert material that’s highly resistant to enzymes and can withstand temperature variations.

In general, glass vials, as well as pharmaceutical glass packaging, are 100% checked with in-line inspection machines to detect cosmetic issues and reject defective containers. Keeping the production process optimized requires that production batches be periodically checked in the quality control laboratory, inspecting:

• External dimensions on body, finish
• Inside mouth diameter, profile
• Wall thickness

These sample-based controls, in most cases, are still performed with manual gauges – external dimensions checked with go/no-go; inside diameter and profile via profile projectors; and wall thickness with a micrometer after cutting the container. This method has drawbacks as these instruments don’t provide any quantitative information on the controlled characteristic and don’t collect data, so identifying production trends or deviations is difficult. In addition, results depend on the operator’s skill and require at least three operators per shift.

However, solutions such as VisiQuick from Marposs, offer a high level of automation along with several available controls. VisiQuick is a fully automatic flexible machine with automated handling that can measure a wide range of containers irrespective of their dimensions, shape, and color and without any operator intervention. It can measure:

• External dimensions (height, verticality, mouth parallelism, diameters, finish parameters) with optical technology (cameras)
• Weight
• Push-up
• Mouth inside diameter and profile, with Marposs contact technology
• Wall thickness with chromatic confocal technology
• Labelling area profile (sinks and bulges), with Marposs optical technology

VisiQuick can be supplied with any or all the above-mentioned measuring stations. Containers are fed to VisiQuick by one or more conveyors, or it can be fed with samples diverted directly from the production line.

A semi-automatic option, the VisiQuick-mini, measures the same dimensions as the full version but requires manual container loading/unloading. For small pharmaceutical containers where measuring the profile opening diameter is challenging, as the bottle opening is small and only one-sided measurement is possible, a specific version of VisiQuick-mini is available. In addition to external dimensions measurement, it can measure inside diameter and profile and wall thickness.

With any of these single systems, glass container manufacturers can accurately and automatically perform the controls that currently require at least three people. Plus, it can collect data and detect any production problem in real time.

Marposs
https://www.marposs.com/eng/application/pharma-and-food-industry-bottles-and-glass-containers