Autocam Medical, a global contract manufacturer of precision surgical and medical components and devices, presented 11 students with certificates of completion for their CNC Machinist Apprentice Program during a November 10th ceremony at the AMP Lab at Western Michigan University in Grand Rapids.

The event, recognizing the company’s fourth class of graduates, was kicked off with a few words of motivation and inspiration by John Kennedy, IV, General Manager of Autocam Medical, and Dr. Bill Pink, President of Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC).

The year-round program requires students to complete over 700 hours of classroom instruction over a period of 90 weeks. Apprentices are employed by Autocam Medical, maintaining a full work schedule during the training period. In addition to CNC Machinist certification, the course of study also covers the necessary schooling required by the Federal Department of Labor for students to receive a certified Journeyman card and puts them on the path to receive an associate degree, earning 27 college credits.

The Grand Rapids Community College instructor, Andy Beach, an industry veteran with over 20 years of relevant hands-on experience, emphasized the program’s benefits, “Autocam Medical’s Apprentice Program is a win-win; it’s a win for the skilled trades industry and a win for the students,” says Beach. “The students gain skills that put them on a career path with unlimited opportunity, and it helps build a ready workforce for the manufacturing industry, which is starving for CNC Machinists.”

As part of their training, students are challenged to machine two intricate objects. These finished projects are reflective of the caliber of machinists produced by the program. In fact, two graduates, Wrindy Hauser and Ethan Richey, recently won a first-place prize in Mastercam’s global Master of CAM Wildest Parts Machining Competition in the Teams Division for a Thor’s Hammer they machined.

“Our program is quite uncommon. In addition to the specialized training that our students receive, we pay for 100% of their college tuition and provide them with a full-time job while they are receiving training,” says Kristy White, HR Director for Autocam Medical. “The unique Apprenticeship Program is a key reason the company was named the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce’s EPIC Award winner in the Excellence in Business category this year.”

Autocam Medical has built around investing in employees and their growth within a culture that trusts and respects every individual. The company’s success is dependent on the knowledge that employees bring to the team every day.

The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies announced DePuy Synthes acquired the Israeli company, OrthoSpin, Ltd. OrthoSpin developed and manufactures an automated strut system used in conjunction with DePuy Synthes MAXFRAME Multi-Axial Correction System, an external ring fixation system. This acquisition is Johnson & Johnson’s continued commitment to advancing innovation in the medtech space.

Ring fixation systems are a common treatment for correcting complex bone deformities, bone lengthening, setting complex fractures, and addressing issues such as nonunion. Currently, treatment necessitates manual strut adjustments by patients and caregivers daily. OrthoSpin’s strut adjustments are automated and may enhance the patient experience, potentially reducing the risk of negative clinical outcomes caused by unintended strut adjustment errors.

Deformity correction with ring fixation plays an important role in orthopedics. DePuy Synthes has been committed to this area with the introduction of the MAXFRAME System in 2017, and with the launch of new frame innovations and planned next generation software. With the addition of the OrthoSpin technology, DePuy Synthes is better positioned to serve healthcare professionals and patients who benefit from these critical advancements during the complex post-surgery recovery period. 

“DePuy Synthes is deeply committed to patients who are in need of deformity correction surgery,” says Oray Boston, Worldwide President, DePuy Synthes Trauma, Extremities, Craniomaxillofacial and Animal Health. “The acquisition of OrthoSpin clearly demonstrates our strong desire to help these patients navigate their recovery with more confidence and less uncertainty with their strut adjustments. It also demonstrates our commitment to bringing transformative medtech advancements to the industry through the application of automated technology that addresses a wide range of orthopedic challenges.”

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. led the Series A financing of OrthoSpin in July 2018 and led the Series B financing in March 2020. Earlier this year, OrthoSpin received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its second generation, automated, digitally enabled external fixation system for orthopedic treatments, the OrthoSpin G2 System, which is also licensed as a medical device (AMAR) in Israel.

Since its initial release, the OrthoSpin system has been used in numerous surgical procedures with positive feedback from surgeons and patients. Now that the acquisition is complete, DePuy Synthes will integrate the company and develop a robust supply chain before making the product widely available soon.

Machine shops are struggling to stay open and maintain their business and “going into dad’s business” is not what it once was but Platinum Tooling in Prospect Heights, Illinois, is set to reach an important milestone. In 2022, company President Preben Hansen and his family will celebrate 100 years working in metal cutting and four generations of Hansen men in the industry.

The story began with Preben’s grandfather, Louis Eckart Hansen, who learned his trade in Copenhagen, Denmark in the early 1900s. Louis worked as a machinist in the Danish Navy’s repair facility. Preben’s father, Svend Eckart Hansen, honed his skills under the guidance of Louis. In 1958, Svend emigrated with his family, including young Preben, to the U.S. Despite not knowing English, he found employment within days of arriving in Chicago, because of his skill as a tool maker. Svend began his career as a machinist and ended it in the 1990s as a master tool maker at Ramcel Precision Stamping and Manufacturing LLC in Northbrook, Illinois.

With manufacturing and tooling in his DNA, Preben worked in the machine shop of the former Fulton Machine Company in downtown Chicago, while attending the University of Illinois/ Chicago and pursuing a degree in engineering. Following college, he worked in the shop at Oakley Industries building custom machinery. After several years in the shop, Preben moved to the front office and into an inside sales position. Later, at Jemco Tool & Die, he learned programming and set-up on their CNC lathes and machining centers which was his introduction to machine tools and their accessories. His next job was at HPI, now known as Pioneer Heartech Precision Inc., a distributor of tool holders and related products, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Preben started as an Outside Sales representative of tool holders and rotary tables, then became the company’s Sales Manager. This was followed by work at Lyndex-Nikken, another machine tool accessory supplier in Mundelein, Illinois. Here, Preben was introduced to live tools and once again worked as Sales Manager. In 2010, Preben started a joint venture with heimatec GmbH, becoming the President of Heimatec, Inc., a company specializing in live tools, angle heads and multi-spindle drill heads. In 2018, Heimatec, Inc. was purchased by Platinum Tooling Technologies, Inc. with headquarters located in Prospect Heights, Illinois. Preben Hansen is the COO and President at Platinum Tooling.

In total, Preben has over 30 years of experience in the machine tool accessory market and over 40 years in the manufacturing industry. Preben has established himself as an authority on these topics in the North American machine tool accessory market, often hosting knowledge bars at trade shows to SRO crowds.

In keeping with this family tradition, Preben’s son, Luke Hansen, joined his dad’s company in 2018 as a Technical Sales Specialist for several of the product lines sold by Platinum Tooling, including Tecnicrafts collets and guide bushings for Swiss machines. After graduating from high school, Luke joined the army in search of his calling and received great training. Upon his discharge, he decided to put into practice the motivational and goal orientation skills he had learned in the military. In his current position at Platinum Tooling, Luke continues to expand his knowledge of the machine tool accessory market as well as build valuable relationships with the North American sales and distribution network of the company.

Reflecting on 100 years as a family in the manufacturing industry, Preben Hansen says, “The machine tool industry has been and continues to be an extremely vital part of our country’s continued success. My son Luke and I are proud to be 3^rd and 4^th generation professionals involved in this exciting industry.”

Technimount EMS, a provider of mounting solutions for medical devices, announced its Neonatal Stretcher System won the 2021 EMS World Innovation Awards.

The Neonatal Stretcher System offers safety and autonomy to neonatal transport teams consisting of a support stretcher structure and adapted mounts allowing the attachment of multiple medical devices. Other market options necessitate the permanent embedding of specific medical devices, the Neonatal Stretcher System enables neonatal critical care providers to adapt medical device configuration on the stretcher according to their own organizational protocols while using existing equipment. This flexibility provides a seamless transition between teams during patient transfers as well as efficiencies in grouped medical device purchasing and training.

The EMS World Innovation Awards is the highest recognition in the Emergency Medical Service’s industry. The award recognizes the industry’s most pioneering products of the year based on their innovative features and applicability. Technimount was nominated five years in a row and is now a winner for the third time, taking the leading position as the most innovative provider of safe and flexible mounting solutions in the EMS industry.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award in 2021,” says Carl Bouchard, Founder and CEO of Technimount System. “This has been a very difficult year for many of our industry peers and this recognition proves that Technimount’s highest standards and innovation are providing the right solutions to the industry.”

The Neonatal Stretcher Solution was developed in collaboration with CISSS des Laurentides, healthcare institution in Quebec, Canada, and has been deployed successfully in several neonatal healthcare units in North America since its launch early this year.