A series of CNC vertical machining centers (VMCs), the J series for jig provide positioning accuracy and ±1µm repeatability. A thermal compensation system employs sensors on the machine’s faceplate and inside the spindle to minimize effects of temperature changes on part accuracy, cutting temperature-generated displacement by 60%. This system also reduces Z-axis thermal growth and deflection by 30%. Cooling systems for slideway lubrication and ball screw cores stabilize axis feed precision.
Hardened and ground tool steel box slideways maximize machine rigidity and accuracy, while contact elements enhance acceleration, reduce stick-slip, and allow for 0.1µm feed accuracy. The machines feature a full enclosure and various coolant system options.
Solid carbide micro end mills for high precision machining applications up to 55 HRC have a PVD-applied thin film AlCr coating for heat and wear resistance, resulting in long tool life. Ball-nose and torus solid-carbide end mills provide up to ±5µm dimensional tolerances. The solid carbide end mills are available with 2.2x or 5x neck lengths, and 10x diameter and 0.2mm-to-2mm cutting diameters.
CBN micro end mills offer increased tool life for high precision, accurate machining applications up to 66 HRC. They are available with 1.5x, 3x, and 4.5x diameter neck lengths and 0.3mm-to-2mm cutting diameters.
Micro milling/drilling chucks feature a slim design for hard to access areas, as well as high gripping torque and accuracy. As part of the high precision/performance Emuge FPC mill/drill chucks line, they provide rigidity, vibration dampening, concentricity, machining speed, and long tool life for milling and drilling applications. Featuring a chuck with a 1:16 worm gear, the FPC chuck’s design delivers 3 tons of traction force, providing 100% holding power for maximum rigidity. The collet-cone assembly absorbs virtually all vibration for maximum dampening.
Micro chucks are available in a range of models in five shank styles (CAT, HSK, SK, BT, and PSC) and hold 1mm to 6mm or 1/8" to 1/4" shank tools.
Sandvik has agreed to buy CGTech; Hexagon AB is buying DP Technology Corp; Jack Burley has been promoted to president/COO at Big Kaiser Precision Tooling
Sandvik has agreed to buy CGTech, including its Vericut software.
“This is in line with our strategic focus to grow organically and through acquisitions in the digital manufacturing space, with special focus on software solutions close to machining,” says Sandvik President and CEO Stefan Widing.
The company will be reported in Sandvik Coromant, a division within Sandvik Machining Solutions.
“DP Technology is an innovator with a strong focus on building smarter, data-driven manufacturing solutions,” says Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén. “The DP Technology team has built excellent working relationships with leading machine tool providers and other manufacturing technology experts, which will prove invaluable in our open and interoperable manufacturing ecosystem approach.”
Jack Burley (left) will become president/COO of Big Kaiser Precision Tooling, replacing Chris Kaiser (right) who will remain as executive advisor.
PHOTO: BIG KAISER PRECISION TOOLING
Jack Burley has been promoted to president/COO at Big Kaiser Precision Tooling, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Chris Kaiser, Big Kaiser’s president and CEO for 30 years, will become an executive advisor. Burley began his career with Big Kaiser more than 30 years ago and is currently vice president, sales and engineering.
Custom and build-to-print motion technology solutions company MTI has launched a new website to unify the presentation of its various businesses. Each of MTI’s businesses has historically had individual websites, but the relaunched MTImotion.com presents the company as a whole.
Site users can submit unique requirements for custom motion control solutions for mission-critical/demanding applications to be reviewed by MTI engineers. MTI’s experienced teams can then partner with clients to deliver customized solutions. MTI
Service robot sales up 32% globally
Sales value of professional service robots increased by 32% to $11.2 billion worldwide (2018-2019), according to the World Robotics 2020 - Service Robots report. Published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the report predicts that COVID-19 pandemic will further boost the market as demand grows for robotic disinfection solutions, logistics solutions in factories and warehouses, and home delivery systems.
Medical robotics sales account for 47% of the total professional service robot revenues in 2019, mainly driven by robotic surgery systems, the most expensive in the segment. Sales hit a record $5.3 billion, up 28%. By 2022, medical robot sales could more than double, reaching $11.3 billion. Nearly 90% of medical robots are from American and European suppliers.International Federation of Robotics (IFR)
Specialized resistors are making a difference in medical design.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TT ELECTRONICS
Medical designers face a complex realm of diverse applications and performance environments for the devices they develop. An aging population, a greater number of healthcare settings, and increasing demand for smarter, more convenient devices are factors keeping designers on their toes as they face continual competitive pressure for equipment that is faster and smarter, with unmatched performance and precision.
These complex devices also must work closely with the human body, blending sophisticated digital components with the realities of the analog patient. For this reason, resistors – passive components that oppose the flow of electrical current – play a critical role in medical designs. Each active integrated circuit (IC) requires as many as 20 resistors in a medical device design. Off-the-shelf resistors are often insufficient, driving designers to specialized components purpose-built to handle diverse medical challenges such as high voltage and magnetic interference.
Understanding options is crucial, as various medical applications have different priorities for resistor performance. For example, in imaging, X-ray systems require ultra-high voltage resistors; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners demand non-magnetic resistors; and ultrasound devices need integrated resistor arrays. In instrumentation and analysis, accuracy and stability are key. And, some of the most challenging resistor applications are found in contact devices, those connecting directly with the body that are often tasked with safely delivering high-energy pulses or detecting and monitoring biological signals.
Human contact
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) are life-saving tools widely available today, but their success is based on the ability to guarantee patient safety as they provide electrical pulses. The same safety is needed for connected medical devices such as electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors. Protection resistors with high energy ratings support this application. This may be delivered using pulse-withstanding thick film elements and with double-sided chip designs that provide 2x the energy capacity of a traditional component in the same footprint. Most importantly, defibrillation energy must reach the patient, something generally achieved by designing pulse-withstanding resistance directly into the lead set of monitor input circuits. The proportion of defibrillation surge energy dissipated by a protection resistor decreases with rising ohmic value, meaning designers must opt for the highest value consistent with the requirements of the monitor function. Designers must also consider the parameters of the test circuit itself, factoring in the number of leads in the lead set based on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) standards such as IEC601.
In this case, a protection resistor – directing the appropriate surge to the patient and protecting attached monitors from electrical damage – must deliver energy ratings from 25.00J at 1kO to 0.25J at 100kO. While this has traditionally relied on composition technologies, thick film solutions are gaining momentum. Also available are specialist resistors pre-qualified to IEC 60601/61000 standards, minimizing risk and accelerating product development.
Consider that the total energy in a defibrillation pulse may be as much as 350J. Protection resistors, designed within a monitor cable set or on a printed circuit board (PCB) within the monitor itself, absorb some of this energy to block defibrillation energy from entering the monitor. Even 1% of that energy is significant for a small electronic component to handle.
Other options, proven in industrial applications, are also adding new value to medical designs. Pulse-withstanding chips (PWC) and high pulse-withstanding chips (HPWC) offer greater levels of energy capacity; for instance, as an untrimmed resistor with 5% tolerance, HPWC offer up to about 1J capacity in the defibrillation surge duration.
The defibrillator pulse chip resistor (DPCR) is an advancement in high-density signal carrier (HDSC) options. It’s an untrimmed, two-sided version, doubling surge capacity via its thick film material on both sides of the chip. Optimized for monitor inputs, this compact footprint option provides a guaranteed defibrillator pulse-withstand performance. Surge protection is maximized two ways – for deliberate surges such as from a defibrillator, and for random ones, such as those resulting from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Pre-qualified for maximum energy and voltage performance, the DPCR is pre-qualified to IEC 60601-2-27 for defibrillation surges and IEC 61000-4-2 level 4 for ESD. It offers a robust design option that reduces risk and quickly moves designs to market.
Design value
Green options are also on the rise, helping designers meet environmental mandates for medical devices. Employing a resistor that contains no lead meets standards for lead-free design without exemption – designs have inherently greater longevity and reduced need for component replacement as lead-free design requirements continue to expand.
Specialized resistors are making a difference in medical design. Extending value well beyond mass-produced commodity components, these pre-qualified options access features such as high electrical ratings, high surge performance in a small footprint, and environmental value – enabling medical designers to deliver safe, stable devices that help save lives.
About the author: Stephen Oxley is senior engineer, Applications & Marketing at TT Electronics plc. He can be reached at stephen.oxley@ttelectronics.com.
2021 – Rebuilding our future one device at a time
Departments - MedTech MindSet
Post U.S. election and COVID-19 vaccine – what’s ahead?
As we prepare for 2021, do we dare reflect on 2020? Given COVID-19 and political drama, we prefer NOT! There will be books and movies to tell the 2020 story, so we’ll let Hollywood take care of that.
A COVID-19 vaccine – As of the writing of this article, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca were reporting positive results from clinical trials of their vaccines. Let’s hope the final results continue with a very positive outcome – and that other vaccines are also released with similar results.
A Medical Device Tax? – We hope not but now that we have your attention, let’s see what the Biden administration has in mind for a revamped Obamacare and whom they choose to make pay for it.
Reshoring – The COVID-19 experience, combined with the revamped NAFTA – now called USMCA – should have a positive outcome on reshoring/near-shoring manufacturing activities in North America. COVID-19 taught us that certain medical supplies should be considered critical to the U.S. Therefore, there should be a percentage of these critical supplies manufactured in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. This should be an important initiative, and the USMCA should make this objective easier to accomplish.
China supply chain – The China supply chain will likely become more stable and competitive for two reasons: (1) China seems to have recovered from COVID-19; and (2) the new U.S. administration is likely to abandon the trade wars of the previous administration. While there will be some reshoring/near-shoring initiatives, China will remain a strong and reliable piece of the global supply chain. (Note: we do recognize that some China’s manufacturing is moving to Vietnam, Thailand, etc., however, it won’t happen as quickly as some might think. For example, if a company wants to sell its products in China, it will still need to manufacture in China or risk losing market-share.)
Telemedicine – Let’s hope it’s here to stay. This topic is more difficult to predict as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and insurers finally became logical about modern healthcare during COVID-19. Let’s hope they now understand that telemedicine is safer (in most cases) and extremely more efficient.
Live trade shows/conferences? We can’t guarantee this, but let’s hope. While we enjoy seeing you online, we love meeting you in person.
Here’s to wishing us all a safe, prosperous, and uneventful 2021! In the meantime, happy holidays and stay safe!
About the authors: CEO Florence Joffroy-Black is a long-time MedTech M&A and marketing expert. She can be reached at florencejblack@medworldadvisors.com. Managing Director Dave Sheppard is a former medical OEM Fortune 500 executive and an experienced MedTech M&A professional. He can be reached at davesheppard@medworldadvisors.com.
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
