Medical device manufacturers are going Swiss to find solutions

Within the last three years, the medical industry has dominated the need and usage of accurate Swiss-turning machines to produce a variety of implantable medical parts used throughout the body.

The massive "Baby-Boomer" generation is now reaching an age requiring "quality-of-life" surgical procedures. These activity enhancement procedures, such as knee and hip replacements were once considered radical but are fortunately, now considered common practice.

Dental care, both preventative and cosmetic, has also dramatically improved with the newly found use of Swiss-type machines.

Orthopedic bone screws, dental implants, and surgical instruments are but a small sampling of how Swiss-type machines work in conjunction with the medical industry. Bone screws, for example, were traditionally made by numerous single point threading passes. Today, with the advanced Thread Whirling Units available, each bone screw is produced in just one pass.

Today machinery advancements and medical achievements continue to compliment each other, and we are the beneficiaries.



Meeting the challenges for faster, cheaper parts dictated by discrete parts-manufacturers is demanding. However, Citizen is keeping pace with those industry demands.

For example, the L-720 is the latest generation L series Swiss-type lathe introduced by Marubeni-Citizen for speed, accuracy, consistency, and quietness. Full servo axes and advanced technologies permit faster machining operations while reducing non-cutting idle time by 40% compared to that of our earlier L-20 models.

Citizen and Mitsubishi have developed one of the fastest machine controls available today; the 700 series control. Mathematical enhancements of the control, offers the quickest and smoothest parts-manufacturing available. This is nearly 3X faster than our earlier conventional machines.

Two independent tool posts can move at the same time, reducing non-cutting idle time. For example, one tool post does not need to return to a home position before the other starts its next task. This allows the second tool post to start the next process, overlapping the movement of the first.

In an I.D./O.D. tooling operation or thread cutting operation, moving another axis can start without waiting before the movement of the other axis is complete. This process alone can reduce wasted time and provide optimum operation by 40-50%.

In addition, there is no need to wait for the spindle to decelerate then stop at a zero point before indexing. Spindle indexing can now be achieved instantaneously from a high-speed rotation then stop directly at the desired degreed position.

The new Citizen made ballscrew is now 1-in. in diameter with an 8-mm pitch to provide the machine's quickness. And with the use of small high-performance servo-motors, the L-20 generates minimal heat growth, which in turn, allows longer high-speed, high-precision machining.

The L-20 is offered in 3 model types. When cross machining is required, three cross spindles (standard on the type VIII model) can be mounted totaling 18 tools (5 turning, 7 rotary, and 6 drilling tools). The three cross spindles can also be used as end-face drilling spindles by rotating the holder 90°. When end-face machining is required on the front and back, an optional 6 live tool holder is available. With this tool holder option, the L-20 now totals 21 tools (5 turning, 10 rotary, and 6 drilling).

The L-20 type VII offers 5 turning and 5 live rotary tools (cross milling/drilling) on the gang plate. When only turning is required, the L-20 type V offers 5 turning tools on the gang plate with no live tools. As future live-tool needs may be required, the type V model can be upgraded to a type VII or VIII by purchasing additional live tool holders that easily fit into the existing L-20 gang tool plate. This modular concept can support a wide variety of machining processes depending on your current or future parts machining requirements.

For even more complicated parts requiring heavy milling operations such as spinal hooks and biopsy cups, the M series machines are another medical industry favorite.

Because of stiff competition, the medical device manufacturing sector has become a highly proprietary business, thus prohibiting machine tool builders from discussing specific accomplishments in detail.

However, it is becoming quite evident that Swiss-type machines and the medical industry will continue to partner for many years to come.