Lake Region Medical GmbH needed a cleaning process that causes no damage to the product while meeting stringent specifications on the removal of particulate, film-type, and microbiological contaminants.

Ultrasonic Cleaning Machines (UCM AG) of Switzerland responded with an ultrasonic fine-cleaning system that provides reliable cleaning of more than 1 million stainless steel turned parts and tubes per day, six days a week – with products being discharged directly into a good manufacturing process (GMP) Class D cleanroom.

In 2013, a Lake Region Medical customer from the pharmaceutical/med-tech sector needed to expand cleaning capacity for stainless-steel turned parts and tubes. The company decided to outsource this operation to Lake Region Medical. Under the contract, the equipment required for this process had to achieve given levels of cleanliness – with limits on particulate, film-type, and antimicrobial contaminants – while also ensuring that the parts would emerge from the cleaning process undamaged. An additional challenge resided in the product geometry. The turned parts – measuring up to 10.0mm in diameter – have very fine drilled holes. The tube parts are up to 60.0mm long, with internal diameters of only 0.4mm, and must be consistently and reliably cleaned inside.

Click here to read the full article.

McLean, Virginia – AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the China Machine Tool and Tool Builders' Association (CMTBA) have announced the launch of the China Chongqing International Machine Tool Show (CCIMT) to be held November 13 – 16, 2017, at the Chongqing International Expo Center, Yubei, Chongqing, China.

CCIMT will showcase the latest in manufacturing technology and bring buyers and sellers together from all over the world to the dynamic market of Chongqing and southwest China. With an expanding manufacturing base of domestic companies plus foreign direct investment (FDI) from more than 250 Fortune 500 multinationals, Chongqing has established itself as an innovation center for high technology. 

Chongqing’s economic growth was 11% in 2015, the fastest growth among 31 provinces in China. Total GDP of Chongqing and the six surrounding provinces accounts for 21.7% of China’s total GDP – at $231.9 billion, it could be ranked as the 7th largest economy in the world (larger than India and almost equal to France). Chongqing is China’s largest automotive producer, manufactures one-third of the world’s laptop computers and is a major motorcycle manufacturing location.

AMT President Douglas Woods states, “We are thrilled to partner with China’s leading manufacturing technology association, CMTBA, to create a world-class manufacturing technology event in the robust industrial city of Chongqing. Our combined research recognizes that Chongqing is a major production hub, and in the past 10 years we have seen more than 2,000 companies emerge — creating a huge expansion in the number of potential buyers for manufacturing technology products. AMT and CMTBA have been friends and colleagues since the first CCIMT show in 1989, and this collaboration represents a new level of commitment between our two organizations.”

CMTBA President Huiren Chen states, “This collaboration between CMTBA and AMT is a win-win cooperation based on the common recognition on the market situation of the city of Chongqing and China's southwest area as well as the longtime friendship between the two parties. CMTBA has a wide influence over China's machine tool industry and a close connection with member companies and end-users. AMT is the leading manufacturing technology organization in member service and trade show management. We are confident that, together with the close relationships of the two parties with machine tool manufacturers globally, CCIMT will turn out to be a world-class event.”

The China Chongqing International Machine Tool Show (CCIMT) is expected to fill 35,000 square meters of exhibition space with a target attendance of 50,000 coming from foreign countries including the United States. Companies interested in exhibiting or attending should contact Bill Herman, AMT director – international exhibitions & sponsorships at 703.827.282 or bherman@AMTonline.org or Xie Yun, exhibitions director of CMTBA at 010-63345262 or xieyun@cmtba.org.cn.

China’s dynamic market
As the only municipality in Western China under the jurisdiction of the central government, Chongqing is at the forefront of the “Go West” national development campaign. Top manufacturing segments include automotive and automotive parts, electronics, motorcycles and motorcycle engines, die and mold and medical. Chongqing has achieved impressive production statistics in recent years.

Auto production was up 15% in 2015 (reaching 3 million units), with 2020 production expected to reach 5 million units. To support auto production, there are more than 1,000 auto parts makers in Chongqing. More than 600 local companies specialize in making motorcycle and related parts, with annual motorcycle engine production exceeding 10 million units, of which about 15% are exported to overseas markets.

Almost all global electronic giants have set up manufacturing facilities in Chongqing, including Intel, Dell, Lenovo, Foxconn, Investec, and Acer. As a result, the province recently became the largest laptop computer manufacturing center in the world. One of every three laptops in the world is made in Chongqing, and the region produced nearly 80 million smart phones in 2015.

Companies interested in exhibiting or attending should contact Bill Herman, AMT Director – International Exhibitions & Sponsorships at 703.827.5282 or bherman@AMTonline.org or Xie Yun, Exhibitions Director of CMTBA at 010-63345262 or xieyun@cmtba.org.cn.

Source: AMT

Rifton Equipment designed and brought to market a seating system called the Activity Chair. Used in therapy, feeding, and activities, the chair features a height adjustable base, allowing vertical position changes while the person remains seated.

Though Rifton has been making chairs for those with disabilities since the 1970s, its first production models – though unique at the time – were primitive plywood box frames covered with slots and knobs for adjustment. Through the years, as therapists’ input and suggestions flowed in, company designers continued to modify and improve on the original idea.

Using this methodology, Rifton’s designers determined early in the design process that they would need to separate the seat from the base so they could offer options that would meet a range of needs from children needing minimal support up to children and adults needing full support. They worked through the mechanical details and developed design prototypes of what they thought would work well. Each revision of the prototypes required additional field-testing and input from therapists.

Click here for the full article.

James “Jay” Campbell had no idea that when he and his brother Larry were paid pennies per unit to help their dad deburr injection-molded parts every evening during their high school years, the experience shaped their futures. With more than a decade of hands-on experience, Jay founded Campbell Engineering in Lake Forest, California, 19 years ago, but he still considers himself more machinist than CEO. He consults Larry for advice and is thrilled that his own daughters and son-in-law now work with him at Campbell Engineering.

Jay’s company has found its niche milling highly complex, low-volume components – primarily aluminum parts for medical laser instruments, developing a reputation for high quality and customer service standards while delivering parts on time. Recently, Campbell Engineering has been evolving from a job shop into more of a contract manufacturer, as current clients ramp up part quantities. Adding a Makino PS95 vertical machining center (VMC) and a51 horizontal machining center has allowed the company to expand its capacity as it shifts its business model.

Click here to read the full article.