Waterjet makes it in medical

Much of Omni Components Corp's success in the medical industry is attributed to its use of abrasive waterjet cutting. With it, the Hudson, N.Y., shop produces finished flat components, cuts stock metals to near-net shapes, and generates difficult shapes at the pre-machined blank stage with minimal distortion, maximum use of stock, and no heataffected zones.

"Our medical-industry clients require turnkey solutions that can take components and assemblies to high levels of completion with less labor costs," says Rick Holka, president of Omni. "The waterjet delivers the ability to cut intricate finished parts out of a variety of materials. This technology lets us expand into new medical markets."

The company uses a Bengal abrasive waterjet system from Flow International, and manufacturing of medical-related components accounts for more than 20% of its overall business. Last year has been the most successful for the company  and during a time when other manufacturers were scaling back or closing.

To experience the same success and tap into the expanding medical market, Flow offers several recommendations concerning shop operations. The first is to operate lean and focus on improving operating efficiencies. It suggests cutting costs, shortening cycle times, and boosting machining efficiency.

Another recommend a t i o n i s t o p r o d u c e high-quality parts at fast t u r n a r o u n d t ime s , i n single setups, and price competitively. With this in mind, Flow says that waterjet technology is poised to contribute to successful medical manufacturing by offering cutting flexibility, versatility, productivity, ease of use, reduced maintenance requirements, around-the-clock uptime, and low cost of operation.

Flow International
Kent, Wash.
http://www.flowcorp.com
Circle 70