The medical manufacturing industry requires precise, complex, lower volume parts. Some parts don’t require ultra-high tolerances, but many do. Ventilator parts, surgical tools, and mold inserts for plastic injection manufacturing must maintain high precision and superior surface finish. Many medical manufacturers have set up their shops with the proper environment and machines to achieve the necessary results.

2. How do medical device manufacturers handle increased demand?
With precise or complex parts, the challenge is time and these typically take longer to machine. Required specialty tooling, machines, and operations also demand attention to detail from operators. Additional operations require more tooling, thus additional ATC capacity is necessary. The additional time for extra operations makes lights-out, unattended run time attractive and that is where automation comes into play. While there are multiple ways to incorporate automation, the best way is to build on existing infrastructure. Space limitations may make it difficult to simply add automation, so a self-contained multi-pallet system becomes a major advantage. The more you can automate your production, the more productivity you can expect through spindle up-time. The Yasda PX30i has all of the features to solve these challenges.

3. Why is tooling choice and process so important for harder to cut materials?
Hard to cut materials often use cutting strategies and techniques that require many hours in the machine. One customer moved production of a stainless steel part from a conventional 12,000rpm, 4-axis horizontal machine using conventional tooling to a high-speed 20,000rpm machine using the latest high-speed tooling. With the conventional machining, the customer used long end mills to cut deep, thin walls with 3+1 axis approach. Over-extended, extremely long end mill created chatter giving the thin-walled part a bad finish. On a high speed, 5-axis vertical machining center, the Yasda PX30i, the operator used a ball end mill with a short tool extension with a tapered shrink-fit holder that could fit inside the thin walled part. A 5-axis spiral cutting technique cut the part successfully without vibration, and in a shorter cycle time. Additionally, the operator could finish the outside profile of the part with the same ball nose and 5-axis spiral technique. The conventional part took over 40 hours versus 14 hours using the right tooling, cutting techniques, and machine tool. Improvements included eliminating vibration marks.

4. How are medical device manufacturers facing the COVID-19 pandemic?
While facing the challenges of continuing production as a critical manufacturer, keeping employees safe with regulations and social distancing, automation has become a major advantage. Unattended run times and machine solutions that can handle low volume/high mix has become critical, especially for medical parts. Automation allows companies to stagger their workforce and run into or through the next shift with limited labor.

5. What is the future of the medical industry?
As technology continues to evolve, more shops will need machines that can handle greater precision in complex parts. Manufacturers will adjust their operations, processes, and possibly their facility and equipment. Increased cycle times due to the higher precision will drive more automation and multi-pallet machines for unattended run times on low volume, complex parts that make the medical industry unique.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://methodsmachine.com

1. Stäubli launched its first robots in life science more than 30 years ago with early projects in lab automation, surgery, drug, and medical device manufacturing.
From the start, Stäubli developed a unique smart design well adapted to sensitive environments. The fully encapsulated robotic arms present no external cables and can reach cleanliness levels from ISO 5 to ISO 2, in addition to compatibility with chemicals used in decontamination processes (wipes, vaporized hydrogen peroxide – VHP).

2. From 2016 to 2019, Stäubli brought the ease of integration and flexibility to new levels by standardizing while expanding its full product range of 6-axis (TX2) and 4-axis SCARA (TS2).
All Stäubli series robots are made of common parts and components; moreover, they use the same compact controller (CS9). This enables customers to operate various robotic arms via one single model of controller, simplifying machine design and maintenance procedures.

This first-in-class position find its sources in the patented gearboxes manufactured by the Swiss company itself. This results in minimum backlash and unmatched arm stiffness allowing for extreme repeatability. This translates in higher speed, shorter cycle time, and more productivity for medical device applications.

4. Choose Stäubli for controlled TCO and secured ROI.
We offer multiple services to support you throughout the project’s life: personalized technical study and proof of concept, training (user, programming, and maintenance), programming support, commissioning, preventive maintenance. Lastly, our 5-year warranty option gives you peace-of-mind and clear visibility on the costs of your equipment.

5. Stäubli is at the forefront of the technological trends that transform Industry 4.0.
• Its robotic systems are accessible and linkable to all interfaces, including OPC UA; it allows users to bring up real-time and personalized production information to their ERP system (enterprise resource planning).

• Acquiring the German company WFT GmbH in 2018, pioneers in industrial mobility, Stäubli developed a complete range of mobile autonomous solutions from Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). While robotic arms work on the lines, AGVs and AMRs now bridge the gap that existed for completely autonomous production processes within the walls of smart factories.

Stäubli
https://www.staubli.com | https://www.staubli-wft.com/

A 3D artificial eye exceeds the capabilities of existing bionic eyes and even some human ones, potentially bringing vision to humanoid robots and new hope to people with visual impairments.

Scientists have spent decades trying to replicate the structure and clarity of a biological eye, but existing prosthetic eyes – usually spectacles attached to external cables – provide poor resolution with 2D flat image sensors. Developed by an international team led by scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Electrochemical Eye (EC-Eye) replicates the structure of a natural eye and may eventually offer sharper vision than a human eye with extra functions such as infrared radiation detection in darkness.

The key feature is a 3D artificial retina – an array of nanowire light sensors which mimic the photoreceptors in human retinas – developed by Professor Fan Zhiyong and Dr. Gu Leilei from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST. The team connected the nanowire light sensors to a bundle of liquid-metal wires serving as nerves behind the manmade hemispherical retina, successfully replicating the visual signal transmission to reflect what the eye sees onto a computer screen.

In the future, these nanowire light sensors could be directly connected to visually impaired patients’ nerves. Human eyes use bundles of optic nerve fibers routed through the retina via a pore to reach the brain, which creates a blind spot in human vision. Light sensors, scattered across the manmade retina, could each feed signals through their own liquid-metal wire, eliminating the blind spot, as they don’t have to route through a single location.

Nanowires have higher density than photoreceptors in the human retina, so the artificial retina can receive more data and potentially attain a higher image resolution than the human retina if contacts to individual nanowires are made in the future. With different materials used to boost the sensors’ sensitivity and spectral range, the artificial eye may achieve other functions such as night vision.

“Regardless of image resolution, angle of views, or user-friendliness, current bionic eyes are still no match for their natural human counterpart. A new technology to address these problems is in urgent need, and this gave me the strong motivation to start this unconventional project,” Fan says.

The team collaborated with the University of California, Berkeley. The working principle of the artificial eye involves an electrochemical process adopted from a type of solar cell. Each photo sensor on the artificial retina can serve as a nanoscale solar cell. With further modification, the EC-Eye can be a self-powered image sensor, eliminating external power sources or circuitry when used for ocular prosthesis.

“In the next step, we plan to further improve the performance, stability, and biocompatibility of our device. For prosthesis application, we look forward to collaborating with medical research experts on optometry and ocular prosthesis,” Fan adds.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
http://www.ust.hk

University of California, Berkeley
https://www.berkeley.edu

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!

MedWorld Advisors
https://medworldadvisors.com

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.