Renishaw has opened an Additive Manufacturing (AM) Demonstration Center inside Ibex Engineering’s headquarters in Newbury Park, California. Visitors can explore, interact with, and use Renishaw’s latest metal AM systems.

The center can print high-precision titanium (Ti64Al4V) parts on Renishaw’s RenAM 500 series of laser-powder-bed-fusion AM systems. For industrial production applications, the RenAM 500 series allows automatic powder sieving and recirculation within the compact system, reducing manual handling and material exposure.

To provide a complete picture of metal AM, the center features wet downdraft, heat treatment, support, machining, insp ection, and part removal equipment, working in concert with the AM system to ensure parts are printed and finished to specifications.

Senvol earns NIST grant for AM analytics

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded a grant to Senvol for its “Continuous Learning for Additive Manufacturing Processes Through Advanced Data Analytics,” project, demonstrating that data analytics can be applied to additive manufacturing (AM) data to establish process-structure-property (PSP) relationships. Senvol ML data-driven machine learning software for AM will be used to conduct the analyses. Analyzed data will come from NIST’s various round-robin test studies and its AM Benchmark Test Series.

Senvol ML will analyze model reliability, adaptive sampling, generative learning, hybrid modeling, and transfer learning. Additionally, Senvol will parameterize in-situ monitoring data, non-destructive testing (NDT) data, and microstructure data so it can be incorporated into NIST’s AM Material Database (AMMD). The project will culminate by integrating Senvol ML and AMMD, so data stored within AMMD can be analyzed by Senvol’s machine learning software.

“The work in this project will demonstrate the power of a data-driven machine learning approach for additive manufacturing process understanding and material characterization… [showcasing] hybrid modeling, whereby physics-based models and data-driven models are joined under a single framework,” says Yan Lu, senior research scientist at NIST.

Union Tech SL demo center opens

Union Tech Inc.’s Chicago, Illinois, stereolithography (SL) demonstration center allows customers to evaluate the company’s commercial and production SL equipment.

The center includes:

• Pilot 250 and Pilot 450 – building parts in Somos EVOLVE, Element, WaterShed; Industrial RSPRO 600 and 800
• Benchmarking part builds for evaluation of SL technology machines as a 3D printing option
• Investment casting to rapid tooling, metal clad composites, and prototyping applications
• Warehousing, logistic support
• Final assembly, managing quality control of the equipment Jim Reitz, general manager of UnionTech says the center provides “a convenient venue for a first-hand, close-up examination and hands-on evaluation of the UnionTech fresh dimensions approach to stereolithography, open-sourced materials, software options, and robust, keep-it-simple-and-solid engineering that provides cost-effectiveness with excellent part aesthetics.”

UnionTech uses internationally sourced components from suppliers including Panasonic, SCANLAB, Advanced Optowave, and Materialise.

The Nakamura-Tome MX-100 multitasking machining center with advanced software, smart features, and a 96-tool capacity delivers accuracy and productivity. The high-precision multitasking turning center is equipped with a 15hp, 20,000rpm upper tool spindle with turning capability. An 8,000rpm milling turret offers 12 tool stations with 24 indexing positions.

The machine has several smart features including the NT Work Navigator that recognizes coordinates of machine parts with non-round shapes without any additional costs involved, eliminating the need for positioning fixtures and clamping devices. The included Advanced NT Nurse System all-in-one software delivers easy-to-use support for operation, programming, and production. Critical functionality includes phase recognition (key for multitasking), direct chucking enabling transfer without positioning error, and precise synchronization of the left- and right-hand spindles. Additional functions include a load monitor for identifying tool wear/breakage, tool life management, and machine monitoring.

A standard electronic-detector safety feature reduces the impact and force of a machine collision. Should a crash occur, servo-motor feeding direction reverses, and the machine stops within 4 milliseconds.

Methods Machine Tools Inc.

Slim Line 5-axis milling chucks

The FPC milling/drilling chuck line now includes Slim Line models to enhance 5-axis machining productivity and versatility. Available in 1/8” to 9/16” (2mm to 14mm), the compact, slim design with tapered shape enables easier access to the work, especially in confined areas and for challenging angles.

FPC chucks are available in five shank styles (CAT, HSK-A, SK, BT, and PSC) in 68 different SKUs for various applications. A full range of high precision collets and accessories are offered. FPC collets come in three size ranges (FPC 14, FPC 20, and FPC 25) in more than 110 different SKUs, from 1/8" to 1-1/4" (2mm to 32mm).

Emuge Corp.

Additive manufacturing (AM) process monitoring software

InfiniAM Sonic acoustic process monitoring software uses the monitoring systems’ acoustic energy sensors to detect vibration and collect sound waves for build quality analysis. Using four high-frequency sensors in different locations results in a slight time difference, which the software uses to triangulate the position and magnitude of the noise on the build plate. These data can then be combined graphically with other sensor data to build a comprehensive view of the part and the conditions at the time of build.

InfiniAM Sonic works in conjunction with InfiniAM Central and InfiniAM Spectral, which improve understanding of build quality, build process confidence, and process development. The InfiniAM Central mobile app delivers real-time build process notifications to users.

Renishaw

If the healthcare industry can overcome several long-term challenges to bioelectronic medicine, more will know the term. This rapidly growing field uses targeted electrical signals to diagnose and treat a range of diseases, from arrythmias to treatment-resistant epilepsy and chronic pain. Bioelectronic medicine encompasses not just a narrow category of medical devices, but an entire approach to detecting and treating disease – using electrical pulses and the body’s natural mechanisms as an adjunct or alternative to drugs and medical procedures.

It’s a diverse category, including subfields such as cardiac rhythm management (CRM), electrophysiology, spinal cord stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation.

Building on a surge of progress in the past decade, the field is rapidly expanding. Technical innovations are making devices smaller and less invasive with companies bringing new applications to market in the next several years, including for peripheral neuropathy, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, and Type 1 diabetes. According to IDTechEx, bioelectronic medicine represents a $22.6 billion market, projected to triple to more than $60 billion in 2029.

“Millions of patients already depend on bioelectronic medicine, but we are just beginning to envision the many possibilities,” says Dr. Thomas Deering, chief of the Arrhythmia Center, Piedmont Heart Institute, and immediate past president of the Heart Rhythm Society. “As the field develops and matures, it has the potential to address key unmet needs and deliver meaningful benefits for a wide range of patient populations.”

However, a number of long-term challenges remain, which is why field leaders are joining together to address them.

“Bioelectronic medicine has the potential to transform healthcare throughout the coming decades.”

First, they are building collaboration across a highly fragmented landscape of subfields, disciplines, and sectors. Bridging these gaps could advance a cohesive story about the field and how it can improve healthcare – essential to winning over physicians, regulators, payers, policymakers, investors, and patients, many of whom are not even aware of the field.

“Bioelectronic medicine has the potential to transform healthcare throughout the coming decades, much like we’ve seen with the biotech revolution. But the first order of business for those active in the field is to develop a collective vision for how these technologies can improve lives – a vision that other stakeholders can understand and act on,” says Ken Londoner, founder, CEO, and chairman, BioSig Technologies.

The field must also develop high-quality clinical evidence, including mapping nerves to understand how best to use devices, conducting large outcome studies for strong evidence of efficacy, and examining long-term safety and side effects.

Despite the challenges, there are promising signs of progress. The recently launched Alliance for Advancing Bioelectronic Medicine (AABM) aligns leaders on common goals and engages external stakeholders. Researchers and companies are steadily improving devices, developing clinical evidence, and advancing technologies toward market-entry and adoption. Collaboration is growing, with greater connections between those in different subfields.

The group’s shared vision is to deliver innovative technologies that drive real-world benefits for patients and open new opportunities across the healthcare system.

Alliance for Advancing Bioelectronic Medicine

State-of-the-art production equipment and processes hold extremely close machining tolerances when producing multi-lumen and multi-layer medical tubing. However, tool misalignment or maintenance issues can produce exaggerated impacts on the final product.

Equipment maintenance

Improperly maintained equipment can waste 10% to 20% of the material, which can run from 50% to 90% of product cost, since in extrusion processes materials costs are typically higher than labor costs. Tooling suppliers go to great lengths to maintain tips and dies to a determined specification, ensuring perfect concentricity and alignment. Proper maintenance keeps it that way.

Clean parts, especially with sealing and locating surfaces, are key to product performance. These surfaces receive the most care and attention during manufacturing and are the control surfaces that ensure uniformity throughout the tubing. A speck of dirt the size of a human hair – about 0.003" (0.08mm) – can impact precision-machined alignments, so cleanliness is critical to all surfaces. Double- and triple-layer extrusion heads pose even greater maintenance challenges since the number of sealing, centering surfaces multiplies and can magnify dirty tool problems.

Foreign matter usually enters equipment during changeovers when operators disassembled the head to change compounds and/or tips and dies. Thoroughly remove residual material and check for tool deformities, such as burrs, scratches, and scrapes – usually a result of careless handling and/or equipment storage.

Using dedicated work carts designed for extruder head maintenance can produce the best return on investment from well-maintained tools. In addition, make sure proper lifting aids are available. Get help for heavy parts, as surfaces and edges are hard and brittle, so dropping a part or striking them together can cause damage. After thorough cleaning, properly store tools in a dedicated, clean, and dry area with soft surfaces where each instrument is covered and separated. For tool disassembly, use purpose-built tooling – tool costs are easily offset by avoiding damage frequently caused by improper equipment. Follow operator’s manual guidelines as individual tools may have specific recommendations.

Equipment should be cleaned while still hot, since residual polymer and rubber is easier to remove. Be sure to follow all Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) recommendations when heating the tooling. Thermal gloves can protect hands from heated tooling surfaces. A brass scraper and brass or copper wool cleaning cloths are recommended because they are soft enough to avoid scratching the surface.

Easing tool cleaning

The quickest way to remove the die is to employ the pressure of the extruder to push it out. Clean the body and body feed port with compressed air and brass pliers to simultaneously cool and remove excess residue from feed ports. Follow this by using a round brass brush to polish the surface and clean the flow area of the flange adapter.

Most manufacturers recommend a hand polishing stone to remove offending burrs. Follow stoning by lightly applying a 600-grit emery cloth if necessary, avoiding sharp, rounding edges.

Flat sealing surfaces can also be cleaned with a stone, followed by a 600-grit emery cloth. Place the cloth on a clean, flat surface, preferably a surface plate, then apply friction in a circular hand motion until the area is clean and even.

Hardened steel alloy parts will not be adversely affected using these methods.

Reassembly

Working from a dedicated tool cart, give each component a final wipe down with a clean rag. Reapply anti-seize compound to fasteners if required. Tighten fasteners to manufacturer’s recommended specifications in the sequence specified in the manual – typically a star pattern. Gradually tighten until reaching proper torque.

One goal of a die manufacturer is to form a concentric cone as quickly and accurately as possible in the primary section of the die – when the extrudate first emerges from the die’s distribution capillaries. A properly designed and manufactured die has even distribution close to the extrudate entrance point. A properly manufactured and aligned extruded head, along with well-maintained tooling, will require little or no adjustment.

However, unnecessary die adjustment can negate this accuracy. Unnecessary die adjustment can also create unbalanced flow that stresses the extrudate. The final product retains memory of this imbalance, leading to unpredictable die swell.

Tooling maintenance ensures a quality extruded product – one that meets dimensional specifications, maintains the specified minimum tolerance, and is produced economically. Dirty, neglected, and improperly adjusted tools contribute to excessive compound applications, which can complicate maintenance of minimum thickness tolerance. Excess material creates unnecessary costs, directly affecting profitability and relationships with customers.

Guill Tool & Engineering

About the author: Glen Guillemette is president of Guill Tool & Engineering. He can be reached at sales@guill.com.