Mike MunaoMike Munao has been appointed vice president of sales at Midaco Corp. Munao has been with the company for 28 years, offering a wealth of machining knowledge and experience with the evolution of Midaco’s pallet changer system.
Richard ChesnutBystronic Inc. has appointed Richard Chesnut West Coast regional manager. Chesnut has more than 22 years of experience with CNC machinery, automation, engineering, production, sales, and service.
Bob RubenstahlJergens Inc.’sGeneral Manager, Bob Rubenstahl, has retired after seven years of directing the entire division which includes the Workholding Solutions Group, Specialty Fasteners Group, and Lifting Solutions Group. Matt Schron will succeed Rubenstahl as the next general manager.
The most recent member joining Okuma America Corp.’s Partners in THINC is Jergens Inc., a manufacturer of standard and engineered product technology for efficient, effective quick-change workholding. https://www.okuma.com/partners-in-thinc
PHOTO COURTESY OF CNCMACHINES.NET/PAULLINE TASCI
CNCMachines.net awards scholarship
Cal Poly Pomona, California, manufacturing engineering student Pauline Tasci won a $2,000 scholarship from CNCMachines.net. The company also donated $500 to her Cal Poly’s engineering department. Scholarship applicants were required to submit an essay or video detailing three innovative ways the manufacturing industry can effectively increase the number of young professionals seeking careers in the field.
Tasci has participated in engineering competitions for 9 years and was the lead manufacturing student in her high school. She was a manufacturing engineering intern at Applied Medical, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Space, and is now a manufacturing and design mentor for high school teams and teaches students about CNC machinery.
Tasci learned about the scholarship opportunity from a post on TMD’s website.
Matsuura USA’s open house
The IMAGINE.CREATE.INNOVATE. Matsuura Machinery USA Inc. open house will be held at its St. Paul, Minnesota, facility April 23-24, 2019, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. At the event will be the MAM72-70V high speed, large capacity 5-axis vertical machining center (VMC) and the MX-850 PC4, an automated version of the large capacity 5-axis VMC. Additional machines on display include:
CUBLEX-35 5-axis multi-tasking machining center with turning and grinding capability, 32-pallet tower, and 3,200-tool matrix magazine
H.Plus-504 horizontal machining center (HMC)
H.Plus-630 HMC with 12,000rpm spindle, 451Nm of torque
LF-160 linear motor machine for high-speed, high-precision machining of small workpieces; linear motor technology
MX-330 5-axis VMC with 10 pallets, Matsuura 15,000rpm spindle
MX-520 PC4 5-axis VMC with 90 tools, 4-pallet changer
Precision Drive Systems (PDS) provides comprehensive repair services for most belt driven, direct drive, and motorized metalworking spindles for CNC machines. Programs offered that minimize downtime through expedited spindle repair are:
Local drop-off – Customers may bring the metalworking spindle directly to the PDS service center in Bessemer City, North Carolina
Quick-turn – Top priority for emergency repairs with a three-business-day turnaround once the unit has been received and disassembled
This event also incorporates the 28th annual Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) Precision Machining Competition where Illinois high school students create and submit machining projects to be considered for 25 eligible award options in six categories.
Would it meet your standard?
Departments - Editor’s Letter
Sometimes you look at an item and wonder if designers bothered to get input from the end-users at all.
After years in the manufacturing industry, learning the process of designing and manufacturing everything from medical devices to planes, trains, and automobiles, you begin to ask tough questions.
Would you fly on the airplane knowing how its parts were made?
Would you let a surgeon implant a device in you knowing how many design options were tried?
Would you drive the car (or ride in the autonomous one), knowing how safety systems work?
Would you buy the automatic hand soap dispenser?
Those involved in designing and manufacturing have their standards and although I don’t design or manufacture anything, I tend to dig a little deeper into the components in an item before I buy. In our cover story this month discussing production of PEEK spinal implants, Nexxt Spine Programmer Beau Riser says: “I would 100%, 1,000% put our implants in my body. That’s basically my rule of thumb if there’s a question on any part. ‘Would I put this in my body?’ If the answer is yes, then I know we are making great implants.”
Sometimes you look at an item and wonder if designers bothered to get input from the end-users at all. I saw this recently with the design of an at-home sleep apnea test kit. Meeting with the polysomnography technician (sleep technician) to learn how my husband would wear the device for the night, she was quick to point out numerous short-comings:
It is programmed to automatically start recording at 9pm and run for 12 hours, but there’s no light that shows it’s on or recording
You need to fold a flap on the corner of the adhesive tape used to adhere the tubing and wires to the skin, or it won’t come off easily
All the plugs and ports are color-coded for easy connection…except for one, so you’ll have to hunt for that port once everything else has been connected
Five nights a week, she uses this equipment and trains patients on how to use it for at-home sleep studies yet has no input on how the system works or what could be improved – and she has suggestions.
For me, it was an automatic hand soap dispenser for my kitchen sink. As I scoured the Internet for a replacement, I found myself reading the minutest of its design details to make sure it was better and sturdier than the one that had just bit the dust. I looked at the overall design, details about the motor, but what finally sold me on it were the upgrades. To avoid water or soap from entering the battery housing, accessed from the bottom of the dispenser, designers added a cover with an O-ring seal. So now splashes of water or errant soap spray can’t enter and corrode the batteries. The design met my standard.
Diamonds bring precision to tooling and machining, maximizing performance and increasing productivity. So, how can medical device manufacturers get started implementing diamond products onto their shop floors to achieve this goal?
Jeanie Premium Products, a specialty precision diamond tool company launched in 2001 by founder and president Melissa Veeser, partners with Turner Tooling to determine which diamond tooling or system best meets their needs. Medical manufacturing solutions include superabrasive diamond and carbon, boron, nitride (CBN) wheels, tight tolerance wire guide bushings, special treated work rest blades, diamond-tipped blade holders, high quality funnels and collets, diamond wear parts and dressing tools. Whether it is guide wires, implants, stents, bone screws, surgical instruments, all these devices can benefit from using superabrasives. Base materials include nitinol, stainless steel, and titanium.
“We look at what they are currently using and if there is an area that superabrasives and diamonds can benefit them, we introduce that option to them because they will last longer,” Veeser says. “There are a lot of variables, it could create a better surface finish for them and result in less downtime.”
Whether a company needs to rework existing tools and cutters, or implement entirely new products for their processes, there are key steps to achieving optimal results.
Step 1: Define approach, determine a suitable solution
The first step toward implementing superabrasive or diamond tooling products is defining the client’s process approach. By understanding the company’s history and process, Jeanie Premium Products experts can determine which solution is most suitable. They look at each point in the process to find out which areas are performing well and which areas need to be addressed. Often, there will be multiple areas that diamond tooling can improve their current process. Jeanie Premium then will suggest ways to improve the process or introduce a new method. For example, they begin by examining the current wheel, tool life, surface finish needed, and coolant and filtration used, to understand what issues the customer is facing. From there, Jeanie experts determine if a new type of wheel or tool needs to be implemented.
Step 2: Production, implementation
Among the several ways that companies can implement superabrasive and diamond products in their manufacturing processes is implementing new tooling as well as reworking existing tools. Examples include replating used diamond and CBN wheels, and retooling carbide tooling with diamond for longer life. Used tooling gets sent to Jeanie Premium Products where the worn plating or carbide is removed and new plating or diamond is applied.
Then, they grind it in to a tight tolerance to whatever dimensions are needed.
For direct grinding wheels, the customer provides a part print to distinguish the type of form or component that must be produced. Then, details can be determined to make the new wheel. These wheels don’t require dressing. After they are used, they can be stripped of their original material to be re-plated with diamond superabrasives, giving them a new wheel at a fraction of the cost.
Diamond rotary dressers are used on Jeanie Premium Products’ wheels to speed up and simplify the dressing process, performing more accurately and quickly. Rotary dressers are dependent upon the type of bond, wheel, and grit they were using.
Dressing diamond wheels eliminates particle buildup (loading), allowing them to run longer and cleaner. When the wheel is clean, new abrasive surfaces are exposed and it achieves more accurate grinding. This is especially important for hard-to-grind materials such as nitinol, which is used to make guide wires for surgery or stent placement. The wires provide a smooth, fine finish as they are ground to the size of a hair, allowing them to easily maneuver into the body.
PCD- and diamond-coated work rests used for guidewires.
Photo courtesy of Jeanie Premium Products
Step 3: Outcomes, advantages
Due to their hardness levels, heat resistance, and sharp cutting edges, diamond tools can significantly reduce costs and improve productivity. No matter the application, diamonds provide several advantages. When used to rework a tool, the client avoids having to throw out the entire tool. Reworking the tool is less expensive and it produces a stronger material with increased flexibility and longer tool life. Depending on the type of finish required for the part, diamonds can also eliminate some post-process steps, such as polishing.
“When diamond is applied to wear parts, it’s increasing the tool life 10x to 25x. So, say if they had a part in there and they had an abrasive material such as nitinol that was running on or across that part, it would last longer. They aren’t changing out that part as often. And there are other hidden benefits too, such as producing fewer purchase orders and reducing scrap,” Veeser explains.
“Overall, diamond tooling can be very beneficial because it streamlines the process for medical manufacturing,” Veeser says. “We implement changes and introduce clients to new products, which sometimes includes validation. We look at each project and review it with the customer so they are engaged in creating cost savings and synchronized processes.”
After a project ends, Veeser encourages clients to look for more uses for diamond solutions. As a partner, Jeanie Premium Products keeps clients up-to-date with the latest products to be proactive in meeting any future needs.
About the author: Michelle Jacobson is assistant editor with TMD and can be reached at mjacobson@gie.netor 216.393.0323.
Digital design in life sciences
Features - Design
Dr. Mahesh Kailasam, vice president and Cupertino, California, office director of Thornton Tomasetti’s Weidlinger Applied Science practice, offers insight into medical device design developments, challenges.
TMD: What are some challenges faced by medical device manufacturers today?
MK: One of the main challenges is developing more personalized solutions. This can include tailoring devices based on specific patient and disease characteristics or developing decision-making systems to aid in optimal device selection and placement, going hand-in-hand with challenges to reduce device development timelines and lower treatment costs.
A scan of a living patient’s heart, with the mitral valve, highlighted in red and blue, visible between the upper left atrium and lower left ventricle.
courtesy of Thornton Tomasetti Applied Science
TMD: How do digital design tools work to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations’ (FDA) challenge to speed product development?
MK: Continuing advances in digital design tools, in combination with machine learning methods, have made it possible to more efficiently assess and improve the effectiveness of various device designs. Enhancements and automation of image-to-simulation workflows, assisted with virtual reality-based visualization of simulation results, are starting to provide valuable information that can assist in the design of clinical trials with greater confidence in positive outcomes.
TMD: What is the FDA doing to support this while still regulating the industry?
MK: The FDA has invested in internal research and development (R&D) and external collaborations to develop guidelines, such as the validation and verification (V&V), and to encourage the systematic adoption of modeling and simulation technologies in various contexts of use. In addition, public support from various FDA leaders is starting to have a visible impact on more widespread interest in, and adoption of, computational models.
Work is underway to refine simulations, like the one shown here, that can recreate patient-specific mitral valve anatomy from real-life scan data. The goal is to design customized implants with dimensions that support treatment of individual patients’ heart-valve diseases.
courtesy of Thornton Tomasetti Applied Science
TMD: What direction do you see medical device development taking because of modeling & simulation?
MK: In addition to improving the effectiveness and reliability of medical devices, in silico modeling and simulation is a key enabler of what is often referred to as precision medicine. This includes the selection of treatments that are more personalized and optimized to provide acute relief and are effective for longer periods of time. This could play a significant role in controlling rapidly increasing healthcare costs.
TMD: Can you cite some examples of successful projects achieved because of these digital tools?
MK: Digital modeling and analysis are widely being used to develop implants and prosthetics to match an individual’s physical characteristics and lifestyle choices, such as athleticism. Simulation-based surgical planning in various medical domains, ranging from orthopedics to ophthalmology, is another area where startups and established companies are increasingly offering attractive solutions.
TMD: How is Thornton Tomasetti Applied Science particularly qualified to contribute in this arena, and what expertise does it bring to device development?
MK: We have been using digital modeling and simulation longer and more systematically than most companies. We have also been active participants on several American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) V&V committees for computational modeling and continually develop new digital methods and workflows that are valuable to device developers. For example, the application of machine learning and uncertainty quantification principles to virtual human modeling often provides valuable information that can increase confidence in the use of simulations to make informed decisions.
