Medford, Oregon – Carestream Contract Manufacturing, a provider of roll-to-roll precision contract coating services for advanced materials applications, opened the year with upgraded multi-layer solution coating capabilities. In 2015, Carestream broadened its offerings for coated and cast film-based advanced materials with growth in display and electronics materials, membranes and cast films, and medical films and device components. Enhanced services and achievements include:

• Improved polymer solution casting techniques to enable the custom manufacture of high-performance films for exacting market applications, including polyurethane (PU) films for wound care components, medical tapes and patches; cast film membranes for batteries, fuel cells and haptics/touch sensors; and more.
• Expanded hardcoat services for hard coating polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and other acrylic substrates, including polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and cyclo-olefin polymer (COP). Carestream’s Clear Hardcoat Film features a proprietary formulation usable on a variety of substrates, which imparts a durable, scratch-resistant surface that looks and wears like glass for display, electronic, optical and graphic applications. 
• Enhanced multi-layer barrier coating for products, including pharmaceuticals, food packaging and electronics, to resist penetration by moisture and gasses.
• Upgraded clean room operations with new air handling and filtration systems, as well as coater and web line enclosures. The improvements reduce airborne contamination to levels approaching a Class 100 environment in Carestream’s coating and slitting operations, resulting in fewer point defects and higher yields. Carestream also hired new production facility employees to ensure optimal conditions for quality assurance.
• The company also earned an honorable mention in the AIMCAL 2015 John Matteucci Award for Technical Excellence in the Web Coating category for Todd Arndorfer’s technical paper “Solution Delivery for High-Precision Coating.” 

“We are committed to continuously improving our contract manufacturing capabilities to meet the needs of our valued advanced-material customers,” said Rick Daniels, general manager of growth platforms at Carestream Contract Manufacturing. “We implemented a number of strategic initiatives and technical upgrades in 2015 to offer best-in-class precision coating with quality and cost-efficiency as hallmarks of our service, now and into the future. In 2016, we will continue to apply our process knowledge, experience and quality-driven practices to solve the unique challenges of our customers, while expanding into new applications and markets.”

Source: Carestream Contract Manufacturing

Huntersville, North Carolina – Micro Waterjet offers a guide to understanding the various precision cutting methods available in the market today. 

Those overwhelmed by trying to select the right cutting method for a complicated part, or those that have ever struggled with less-than-ideal results from a production method in the past can review the options available. 

This new guide helps explain why – as well as what – to consider in the future when it comes to improving results. The guide addresses: 

• Minimum and maximum accuracy ranges and kerf widths
• Multiple methods including laser, wire EDM, traditional waterjet, and more
• Material suitability and limitations
• Time vs. cost
• Time vs. finish quality/additional refinishing
• Cost vs. finish quality
• Lead times, prototyping, and production runs

This complimentary guide is available here.

Source: MIcro Waterjet

Tempe, Arizona — Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in January for the fourth consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 80th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

The report was issued by Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The January PMI registered 48.2%, an increase of 0.2 percentage point from the seasonally adjusted December reading of 48%. The New Orders Index registered 51.5%, an increase of 2.7 percentage points from the seasonally adjusted reading of 48.8% in December. The Production Index registered 50.2%, 0.3 percentage point higher than the seasonally adjusted December reading of 49.9%. The Employment Index registered 45.9%, 2.1 percentage points below the seasonally adjusted December reading of 48%. Inventories of raw materials registered 43.5%, the same reading as in December. The Prices Index registered 33.5%, the same reading as in December, indicating lower raw materials prices for the 15th consecutive month. Comments from the panel indicate a mix ranging from strong to soft orders, as eight of our 18 industries report an increase in orders, and seven industries report a decrease in orders."

Of the 18 manufacturing industries, eight are reporting growth in January in the following order: textile mills; wood products; miscellaneous manufacturing; printing & related support activities; furniture & related products; computer & electronic products; machinery; and electrical equipment, appliances & components. The 10 industries reporting contraction in January — listed in order — are: apparel, leather & allied products; nonmetallic mineral products; petroleum & coal products; paper products; transportation equipment; plastics & rubber products; fabricated metal products; food, beverage & tobacco products; primary metals; and chemical products.

January 2016 Manufacturing Index Summaries
PMI
Manufacturing contracted in January as the PMI registered 48.2%, an increase of 0.2 percentage point from the seasonally adjusted December reading of 48%, indicating contraction in manufacturing for the fourth consecutive month. A reading above 50% indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50% indicates that it is generally contracting.

A PMI above 43.2%, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy. Therefore, the January PMI indicates growth for the 80th consecutive month in the overall economy, while indicating contraction in the manufacturing sector. Holcomb stated, "The past relationship between the PMI and the overall economy indicates that the PMI for January (48.2%) corresponds to a 1.6% increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) on an annualized basis."

New orders
ISM’s New Orders Index registered 51.5% in January, an increase of 2.7 percentage points when compared to the seasonally adjusted December reading of 48.8%, indicating growth in new orders in January following two consecutive months of contraction in new orders. A New Orders Index above 52.2%, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Census Bureau’s series on manufacturing orders (in constant 2000 dollars).

The eight industries reporting growth in new orders in January — listed in order — are: wood products; furniture & related products; electrical equipment, appliances & components; miscellaneous manufacturing; primary metals; machinery; computer & electronic products; and chemical products. The seven industries reporting a decrease in new orders during January — listed in order — are: apparel, leather & allied products; paper products; transportation equipment; nonmetallic mineral products; plastics & rubber products; food, beverage & tobacco products; and fabricated metal products.

Production
ISM’s Production Index registered 50.2% in January, which is an increase of 0.3 percentage point when compared to the seasonally adjusted 49.9% reported for December, indicating growth in production in January following two consecutive months of contraction in production. An index above 51.3%, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Federal Reserve Board’s Industrial Production figures.

The six industries reporting growth in production during the month of January — listed in order — are: textile mills; electrical equipment, appliances & components; primary metals; computer & electronic products; miscellaneous manufacturing; and machinery. The eight industries reporting a decrease in production during January — listed in order — are: apparel, leather & allied products; nonmetallic mineral products; fabricated metal products; transportation equipment; petroleum & coal products; paper products; food, beverage & tobacco products; and chemical products.

To read the full National Report, click here.

Source: ISM

New York – BioArchitects officials announced the 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the company’s 3D printed patient specific titanium cranial/craniofacial plate implant. Designed for the repair of defects in the non-loadbearing bones of the head and face, each custom designed plate is permanently attached to the skull and/or face with self-tapping titanium screws. 

This first of its kind U.S. device makes use of cutting-edge 3D printing technology from Arcam AB, also known as additive manufacturing, taking advantage of the properties of light weight and high tensile strength of the biocompatible titanium alloy made from Arcam’s electron beam melting (EBM) technology.

“We are extremely proud to contribute to what we consider another major advance in the trend toward personalized medicine. We believe that this is yet another step toward what will ultimately become the new standard of care,” according to Mark Ulrich, CEO of BioArchitects USA.

Devices of this kind are typically used in the repair of bony defects resulting from trauma, disease, or congenital abnormalities. As each device is specific to a single individual, its construction begins with the taking of a CT scan or MRI of the affected area. The scan or image is then imported into a highly sophisticated computer design program, which is used to create a template of the repair that becomes the model from which the 3D printer produces the titanium plate, to the specific dimensions of the design. The resulting plate is the exact fit for the defect, not unlike the positioning of a jigsaw puzzle piece. Getting from CT scan or MRI, the finished plate is the end-product of collaboration between the surgeon and the biomedical engineer responsible for the design. 

“BioArchitects is a prime example of how innovative organizations are using EBM technology to advance biomedical surgeries that truly effect people’s lives,” said Magnus Rene CEO of the Arcam Group. “Arcam has been a strategic supplier to the orthopedic market for over a decade and tens of thousands of implants are made yearly from our EBM systems. It is clear that both BioArchitects and Arcam are advancing patient care with new technologies that will make a significant difference in the world of medicine for years to come.”

Source: BioArchitects