Now that summer is over and we are moving rapidly toward November, it may be time to re-focus on the upcoming election and its potential impacts on MedTech and your business.
Whether you are a donkey, an elephant, a little bit of each, or none of the above, Election 2020 will have a huge impact for years to come. Some key topics are listed in the table (right).
Many more issues are involved (trade, Supreme Court choices, etc.), but whatever choices you make, we support you. It’s your right to have your opinion. What we ask is that all of us debate these issues in the spirit of “We are all in this together.” Even when we disagree, we should give the other person respect and assume they are just as dedicated to our future as we are!
MedTech MindSet is a monthly column discussing opportunities in the medical industry. About the authors: Florence Joffroy-Black is a long-time medtech M&A and marketing expert with significant experience in the medtech industry and is now the CEO of MedWorld Advisors. She can be reached at florencejblack@medworldadvisors.com. Dave Sheppard is a former medical OEM manufacturer Fortune 500 executive and is now a principal at MedWorld Advisors. He can be reached at davesheppard@ medworldadvisors.com.
Medical design & manufacture news
Departments - News
Verifying medical device surfaces; Starrett appoints three to sales management
BTG Labs’ Senior Applications Specialist, Lucas Dillingham, offers insights about cleaning, coating, sealing, printing, or bonding for medical device manufacturers. Topics Dillingham covers include: Material surface quality’s role in product reliability Navigating product changes to improve cost, maintain performance ISO 13485, the U.S. FDA’s Quality System Regulation 820.75, and their impact on process control decision making Application of available production level verification tests To watch this on-demand webinar visit: https://www.todaysmedicaldevelopments.com/form/verification-medical-device-surfaces-eas-manufacturing-form/.
• Jamie Feere, sales manager, Canada, Industrial Products. Feere has held several senior leadership roles and was most recently director of sales – Canada for Karcher, with initiatives focused on mentoring an outside sales force, developing growth strategies, and contracting negotiations.
• Michael Connor, strategic accounts sales manager: North America. Connor brings professional sales and marketing experience to his role including managing industrial, construction, and retail distribution channels in North America. Most recently, he directed sales/marketing efforts at a diamond tool company and a New England supply company.
• John Hibbard, regional sales manager: West - U.S.A., Industrial Products. Hibbard has held management and business development roles in industrial distribution and manufacturing in the U.S., including sales to end users, branch office management, overseeing corporate operations, and directing sales and business development efforts. Most recently, he was with Pferd North America.
Jamie FeereMichael ConnorJohn Hibbard
Lubrizol acquisition expands 3D printing capabilities
Lubrizol
3D/Additive manufacturing news
Departments - 3D / Additive Manufacturing
Essentium helps Texas increase PPE supply; Lubrizol acquisition expands 3D printing capabilities
Industrial 3D printer maker Essentium is working with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Military Department, and other groups to supply personal protective equipment (PPE). The company has shifted capacity in its Texas operations to produce face mask kits. The reusable mask frames are made with Essentium PA (thermoplastic nylon), allowing for easy cleaning, and are used with a single- use, replaceable ASTM Level 2 certified filtration media.
Essentium has produced more than 60,000 3D-printed face mask kits for Texas. Each kit comes with replaceable filters, which is the equivalent of providing 1.9 million to 3.8 million individual masks. https://essentium3d.com
Lubrizol acquisition expands 3D printing capabilities
The Lubrizol Corp. acquired Avid Product Development LLC, which offers a blend of 3D printing capabilities including design for additive manufacturing (DfAM), prototyping and production using powder bed fusion (MJF, SLS), fused filament fabrication (FFF), and stereolithography (SLA), with expertise in various post-processing technologies. Lubrizol’s materials, application, and testing expertise coupled with Avid’s 3D know-how will enable development of differentiated solutions and accelerate adoption of 3D printing in key industries.
“Lubrizol continues to invest in opportunities that bring new differentiated solutions to our customers,” says Gert-Jan Nijhuis, general manager, 3D Printing Solutions, Lubrizol Engineered Materials. “The acquisition of Avid Product Development greatly enhances our ability as a 3D printing solution provider, offering complete product solutions from material development to printing and post processing services, delivering end-use products for our key markets.”
Grooving with insertable form tools, instead of single-point turning, can lower costs up to 40%. However, solid carbide drills are often necessary for larger bore sizes and deeper holes, despite increased costs and longer machine downtime caused by long changeover times.
The PWP and PWP-D insertable form drill system addresses the problem by keeping the insert holder in the machine during changeover. The center height stays unchanged.
The insertable carbide tool is ground individually, according to customer specifications, and can hold a minimum tolerance of ±0.02mm and 0.02mm repeatability.
Form drill systems are available in various carbide grades and offer additional savings as only the insert is coated, not an entire solid carbide drill.
To ensure maximum flexibility in setup, a 2-jaw module for clamping cubic parts can be positioned centrically on machining centers and milling machines. The 2-jaw module enables changeover from clamping round parts to cubic parts in less than 2 minutes. It can handle turning applications up to 1,500rpm.
The 2-jaw and 3-jaw modules use the Centrex quick-change interface as its base, allowing changeover without removing and realigning the collet chuck.
Shops can opt for a 2-pallet changer, a simple solution that minimizes non-cut time associated with part loading/unloading. Full front doors span from the top to the bottom of the machine, enabling easier user access and ergonomics. An automatic side door allows robotic part loading/unloading, freeing up the machine’s front work area and eliminating interference between automation and operators.
Side loading supports standard, pre-engineered robotic part-loading systems to single-pallet/table machine configurations. The machine can be equipped with through-pallet hydraulics and pneumatics, allowing shops to mount fixtures to the machine’s table, and upon part loading, the workholding sends a signal that triggers automatic part clamping.
The Variaxis C-600 offers 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-tool magazines as well as random access tool magazines that eliminate the wait time typically involved with other types of fixed-address tool systems. The machine’s control pendant is mounted in close proximity to the front door and swings/pivots to accommodate users.
By applying through-hole thread whirling or high-speed spindles for small surfacing end mills, the enhanced Tsugami SS327-III-5AX, 32mm, B-axis, chucker-convertible Swiss CNC lathe cuts complex parts completely in a single setup. The B-axis contains four front and two rear live tools that can machine in coordination with the C-axis, cutting precise angles and sculpted contours. The B-axis transforms this Swiss-type lathe into a multitasking turning center that can drill, tap, and end mill at any angle.
The modular tool zone makes it easy to change cartridge-type live cross and face tools on the B-axis and the sub-side, decreasing changeover time. Multiple angle cuts by the same tool decrease the number of tools required.
Enhancements to the Tsugami SS327-III-5AX include larger linear guides, increased ribs in the solid base casting, a 4GB data server, thermal displacement compensation sensors throughout, and a 3-toggle clamping system.
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
