The ShapeSmart NP3+ cylindrical grinding machine creates complex geometries with exact concentricity and dimensional accuracy. Its modular structure allows the machine to adapt to varying requirements and budgets.
Available with three or four axes, the ShapeSmart NP3+ offers a grinding range of 0.025mm to 25.000mm diameter. It works in accordance with the peel grinding principle and performs roughing and finishing processes simultaneously. Extreme lengths/diameters – for deep-hole drills or other special applications – are achieved with NP3+ up to 400xD.
A 3D touch probe facilitates the localization of the tool end position that can be used as a second operation to peel grind undercuts on ground end mills. Steps, cones, and radii can be processed completely in a single chucking.
An automatic loading device facilitates unattended operation. The ShapeSmart NP3+ works in accordance with the peel grinding principle and performs roughing and finishing processes simultaneously.The in-process measuring gaging system allows the ShapeSmart NP3+ to maintain narrow tolerances, automatically correcting any potential deviations.
SoftWheel in-wheel suspension technology absorbs shocks and vibrations, helping wheelchair rides become a lot more comfortable. Since launching the product to the United States, the Tel Aviv, Israel-based company has enjoyed double-digit growth, and hopes to adapt its technology to bicycles and automobiles. (See sidebar, pg. 29)
Allaina Humphreys has been using SoftWheels for two years and says she has regained independence after experiencing more than two decades of pain associated with being confined to a wheelchair. Humphreys, injured in a gymnastics accident in 1993, says even riding over household threshold bumps from one flooring surface to another could cause jarring pain.
“Not being able to leave my house was hard,” says Humphreys, the mother of three girls. “It was just agony; nobody could find anything wrong. I would spend days in bed, barely moving around my house. The freedom to get out and participate in daily life again makes me grateful.”
Designing a smooth ride
Wheelchair riders often feel back and neck pain and fatigue easily, so SoftWheel engineers set out to design a more stable, secure ride with a wheel that could absorb vibrations and bumps instead of transmitting those shocks to the rider’s body.
“The suspension arms are rigid when they go over flat services,” SoftWheel Product Manager Yoav Satz says. “They activate as shock absorbers only when an obstacle is encountered. That enables the rider to go over bumps such as sidewalk curbs in a more stable and secure manner.”
Engineers designed the SoftWheel for patients such as Humphreys in mind. With 9-year-old twins and a teenager, she now feels like she is fully embracing the important years in her children’s young lives.
“I had to tell them they couldn’t hug me because it hurt so much,” Humphreys notes. “It was so hard. I was desperate. I needed some way to do more with them.”
Re-inventing the wheel
With their objective defined, SoftWheel engineers were challenged with efficiently and effectively controlling the movement of the wheels, which in turn would limit the impact on users. It took nearly two years to design, research, and prototype the new wheel, with challenges encountered throughout the process.
“We met many challenges in the development of the suspension technology, such as connecting the suspension system to the rim and designing a new hub with unique characteristics,” Satz says.
That’s where igus was able to assist.
Among the components used in the wheelchair technology are engineered plastic bushings from igus. The SoftWheels include iglide L280 bushings, keeping the unit light and eliminating maintenance requirements. Known as The Marathon Runner, the bushing provides wear resistance in harsh environments or when used with rough shafts. The bushing is often used when a high service life is required and when low coefficients of dynamic friction and wear resistance are essential.
The plain bearings are installed in the triangular component of the wheels, where they are connected to the cylinders.
“Using slide bearings based on a non-metal material has many advantages,” Satz says. “Engineers tried several types of bushings and decided to proceed with igus since it provided the best solution.”
Why It works
Some wheelchair manufacturers have tried to make smoother rides for users, but SoftWheel’s 3-arm suspension technology takes the focus away from the chair and onto the wheel.
“The in-wheel suspension activates only when needed. The technology enables the wheel to act as a rigid wheel over flat surfaces, conserving a rider’s energy and maintaining forward momentum (and reducing bounce on flat surfaces). It activates and acts as a shock absorber when the wheelchair encounters an obstacle or rough terrain, reducing shocks and vibrations,” Satz explains, noting that springs or suspension used in some wheelchair frames do not achieve the same riding stability for users as the SoftWheels.
“Our technology works no matter the angle of impact from the obstacle, and the suspension shocks reset immediately so the wheel returns to rigid, leading to a smoother, more stable ride,” he adds.
The wheels come with 24" or 25" aluminum and magnesium rims, have a load limit of 300 lb, and weigh about 4 lb.
SoftWheel’s engineering and design – placing the three suspension arms inside the wheel – allows the hub and suspension to react inside the wheel. Each obstacle causes a reaction limited to inside the SoftWheel, resulting in less vibration to the frame or rider’s body, and the preservation of more forward momentum.
Immediate relief and a new life
Humphreys immediately sensed that the SoftWheels provided the comfort she had been seeking. She started a GoFundMe account to purchase the SoftWheels in advance of an upcoming vacation with her family. The previous year she felt distraught because she could not participate in events with her family at City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. With the SoftWheels, she was able to participate in family activities at the museum.
“As soon as we got the SoftWheels I started going over different types of flooring and threshold bumps that had been causing me a lot of pain, and I was able to roll over them and didn’t notice anything,” Humphreys says. “Outside the front door, there was a drop that was 1-1/2". I could roll right over it. I could go down the sidewalk without worrying about cracks. It was an immediate difference.”
The technology developed by SoftWheel will continue to transform lives, much like it has for Humphreys and her young family.
“My life is different,” Humphreys says. “I have the freedom to go out and about and try new things. Before I was afraid, because I didn’t know if I was going to feel pain. It just allows me to be able to be who I want to be.”
B. Braun, FDA 510(k) clearance for Perfusor Space Syringe Pump – the first syringe pump cleared for air and road transport.
The addition to the Synchronized Intelligence Infusion Platform offers the same user interface, wireless technology, and interoperability, and integrates with DoseTrac, DoseGuard, and AutoComplete Integrated EMR technology. This platform helps clinicians achieve 100% drug library compliance while minimizing medication errors and risks. www.bbraunusa.com
Medical device manufacturer ICU Medical Inc.has obtained certification under the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program (UL CAP), which minimizes risks by creating standardized, testable criteria for assessing software vulnerabilities and weaknesses to reduce exploitation, enhance security controls, and address known malware and potential zero-day vulnerabilities.
ICU Medical earned UL CAP certification for its Plum 360 drug infusion system that provides interoperability with patient electronic health records (EHR), reducing the need for manual input and transcription of infusion data. www.icumed.com
Pulse Systems’ ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certifications have been updated to the ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 standards – the most recent revisions of manufacturing quality standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Pulse Systems has been certified under ISO 13485 continuously since 2009. www.pulsesystems.com
Mahe Medical USA’s universal spine emergency screw removal system (ESR):
Removes broken, stripped screws without additional kits, hardware
Removes spine screw systems regardless of manufacturer
Uses fewer components, takes up less space in the operating room (OR), reduces possibility of mix-ups during procedures
Is a universal extractor, OR team doesn’t need to know individual hardware manufacturers
The system provides quicker and more certain extractions with a single wrench capable of removing any screw. www.mahemedical.com
Jergens Inc.’s IMTS 2018 offerings include tooling; a line of pallets, risers, receivers, and adapters; and custom design and build solutions, including:
Multi-axis 130mm self-centering vise: Part of FixturePro line of modular 5-axis workholding; reduces jaw lift, a common issue where vise jaws flex, raise up during clamping; centering adjustment, uses a screw with trapezoidal threads for increased durability; fits with the FixturePro System
Quick Loc line of pallets, cubes, rotary receivers: low-profile pallets configured in 52mm and 96mm pull stud patterns
The Lumex Advance-25 hybrid additive manufacturing (AM) machine is a powder bed metal AM platform with subtractive machining capability. It combines selective laser sintering (SLS) with high speed milling (HSM) for hybrid AM.
The Matsuura Lumex Avance-25 relies on one-machine, one-process manufacturing of complex molds and parts, creating a finished part with machined surface finish and accuracy, without causing additional variation from multiple machine set-ups and part handling. It produces complicated parts and molds through total manufacturing by digital engineering, using 3D data.
The 1900BT ultrasonic cleaning system is a 20-gallon, plug-and-play unit for cleaning 3D prototype parts. Its compact cleaning area is suited for ultrasonic applications where filtration is not required.
The ultrasonic cleaning process generates cavitation energy inside the bath, creating internal pressure that dissolves the parts’ support structure. With a directional spray nozzle, users spray parts directly and precisely. A programmable cycle provides complete hands-free cleaning, which can be programmed and repeated.
The magnetic drive pump system allows for agitation, where the turbulence is controlled to prevent damage. Flow and heat are adjustable to suit different materials.
Many medical devices are currently produced on a Swiss machine due to the ability to effectively turn, drill, and mill. Although the materials being used to produce medical components have, for the most part, remained the same for some time now (cobalt-chrome, 17-4PH, titanium), recent cutting tool developments are improving overall productivity related to milling applications used in the production of medical devices on Swiss machines.
1. How can manufacturers address the tight space challenges that go hand-in-hand in Swiss machines/ applications?
One solution comes from Iscar’s Multi-Master system. Shanks designed with the typical ER collet back end have been built as an integral component. The result is a highly rigid and accurate milling assembly, with extremely short gage length, excellent accuracy/repeatability, and quick-changeability.
2. What sort of accuracy/ repeatability can be expected from the Multi-Master system?
Axial accuracy is controlled to 0.0004" and radial total indicator reading (TIR) does not exceed 0.0007". This is due to a ground connection, combining a conical taper and threads which seat (or pull) the interchangeable/replaceable head into a connection designed for a slight interference fit. This is a big difference between many modular tooling systems that have to rely on a clearance fit between connections.
3. How does Iscar address milling extremely small part features on medical components?
There are two solution categories: solid carbide and indexable. Solid carbide end mills that could be categorized as micro sized have existed for years. Typically referred to as rib-processing mills, they offer a wide selection in diameter range – from 0.1mm to 6.0mm (0.0039" to 0.2360") – and varying lengths of cut to keep tiny tools working as effectively as possible. For example, a 1mm tool has eight different length options. Indexable tools are now available from Iscar with nano and micro inserts. These inserts will prove to be an excellent fit for the Swiss environment where small depths of cut are the norm and the use of a solid carbide end mill is wasteful.
4. How easy are small indexable tools to change in extremely tight spaces in Swiss machines?
One of the main strengths of the Multi-Master system is quick changeability. For example, a redundant head can be in queue. When the end of tool life is reached, the machine operator quickly switches to the new head, and the head with used inserts is taken to a bench where insert indexing is easily performed. This approach keeps the Swiss machine up and running with a much lower chance for errors.
5. What other cutting tool developments have positively impacted the ability to mill difficult medical device materials?
One of the biggest changes/impacts I’ve had recent experience with was the implementation of an end mill with a new coating, that we call IC702. The coating and substrate form an extremely hard and wear-resistant combination when compared with typical coatings. Without giving away too much information, we replaced our own product with the new technology and, without any changes to cutting parameters, the customer produced double the amount of parts.
Elizabeth Engler Modic (Edited by)
