Product category:
In-house manufacturing exhibitions, Open Days, Roadshows, events
News Release from: Agie Charmilles
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 September 2006
EDM and 5-axis HSM focus on medical
machining
Producer of EDM systems and 5-axis CNC high speed milling machines and machining centres will be staging a 'Medical Open House' at its UK company during October, 2006.
Market-leading EDM and HSM/5-axis machine tool specialist - AgieCharmilles GF is hosting a 'Medical Open House' at its Coventry, UK, facility on Tuesday 3 October and Wednesday 4 October 2006 The one-day event (repeated on the second day) is aimed at precision engineering companies (OEMs through to precision subcontractors) operating in the medical sector - and is intended to bring companies up-to-speed with the very latest machine tool (EDM and Milling) technology developments from AgieCharmilles GF
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 17 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
EDM automation investment halves downtime
Parkside Tool and Die Co. is already reaping the benefits of its latest investment in an integrated Agie Evolution2 with 16 station 3R Workpal automated EDM and work-handling solution.
Wire EDM adds competitive gain
With EDM wire cutting, especially with the Agie cut Evolution and Agie tron Innovation machines, Christian Dunkel ocquired a decisive competitive advantage in jig and fixture manufacture.
In a move away from traditional Open Houses, AgieCharmilles GF will be combining practical machining demonstrations of medical parts and components with a series of key note presentations from leading manufacturers that operate in the medical sector.
These speakers and their presentations are as follows.
* Greg Hobson, machine shop manager, Eurocut, Sheffield - 'Manufacturing high-precision surgical instruments using advanced EDM and Milling machine tool technologies'.
Further reading
Agie Announces 3 new Die Sinking Machines
Swiss EDM manufacturer Agie has unveiled three new die-sinking machines: Agietron Exact, Impact and Advance machines which are each available in two sizes and with a variety of optional features.
Mach 2000 winners go to the sports
Four lucky companies have won tickets to premier UK sporting events this summer in a competition draw organised by the Agie Charmilles Group at the MACH 2000 exhibition held at the NEC.
EDM wins for racing car component maker
Mannesmann Sachs, a manufacturer of specialist, short run automotive components for Formula 1 cars and prototypes, has invested in the latest Agie EDM machine tools for prototyping and production.
As a leading manufacturer of high-precision complex components and parts - Eurocut invests heavily in advanced machine tool technologies to achieve the quality (accuracy, finish etc), reduced lead times and cost-competitiveness demanded by its customers.
* About Eurocut - Eurocut, a subsidiary of The Medical House group, supplies individual instruments and complete systems to major orthopaedic implant manufacturing companies worldwide.
The company's range of manufacturing capabilities in orthopaedic instrumentation enables the manufacture of various custom made instruments for the skeletal system - hip, knee, spinal, toe, elbow, shoulder etc These specialist instruments include-: rasps, reamers, drills, cutting blocks, chisels, planers, introducers and extractors, etc * Dr Richard Bibb, director of research, PDR, UWIC (University of Wales, Cardiff) - 'Customised Medical Devices and Understanding Clinical Requirements'.
Using recent case studies Dr Bibb will highlight collaborative R and D projects undertaken between the University, manufacturers, surgeons and prosthetists and will cover: 3D scanning; CAD, rapid prototyping; reconstructive technology and surgery.
The presentation will also give attendees a 'crash course' in human anatomy and physiology; medical terminologies and surgical procedures - all vital for manufacturers wishing to exploit business opportunities in the medical sector.
* Nik Tipler, managing partner, Wines and Wines Medical, president of GTMA and CEO of Gyronix - 'Partnership approaches to succeeding in the Medical Sector'.
This presentation will focus on the importance of developing partnerships in the medical sector - and will identify both 'win:win' strategies and potential obstacles for OEMs, first/second tier suppliers and precision subcontractors wishing to succeed in the sector.
For OEMs and first/second-tier suppliers there are four distinct business advantages to developing strategic partnerships with forward-thinking precision subcontractors.
For the specialist precision subcontractor there are 3 key strategies that need to be implemented to ensure success in the sector.
For both OEMs and precision subcontractors - there are two major obstacles that can affect the creation and profitability of a partnership approach.
* About Wines - Wines is a UK market-leading precision engineering company providing specialist subcontract manufacturing solutions (components and mould tools) to the medical, aerospace, defence, power generation, autosport, automotive and telecommunications sectors.
To succeed in these sectors the company has made strategic investments in the very latest and most advanced machine tool technologies - EDM, 5-axis milling, high-speed machining, etc In addition to these key note presentations visitors to the Open House will also be able to see the following EDM and milling machine tool demonstrations.
* Machine tool demonstrations.
1 - Charmilles EDM machine demonstration - Charmilles' new Roboform 350 MicroTec spark erosion machine and Robofil 240 CleanCut submerged wire EDM machine will demonstrate both EDM technologies working in harmony to produce complex, 3D surgical (suture) instruments from Steel.
Both EDM machines have been designed to help manufacturers achieve the high part accuracies and repeatabilities, excellent surface finishes and intricate forms, profiles and details required in medical device (components and mould tools) manufacture.
Key machine attributes for the 350 MicroTec and 240 CleanCut include the following.
350 MicroTec - increased thermal stability ensuring higher precision.
Ultra high-performance generator enabling micro-machining of fine details.
'Expert' adaptive control systems to monitor and optimise spark conditions.
240 Cleancut - CleanCut technology optimises EDM machining of stainless steel and titanium.
Use of zinc wires to reduce part contamination.
Submerged and automatic wire threading for increased thermal stability and greater productivity.
Improved filtration ensuring cleaner dielectric and hence cleaner parts.
2 - Mikron Milling machine demonstrations - advanced milling machining of medical components will be demonstrated on two Mikron machines and are as follows.
Mikron UCP 600 - the 5-axis machining of a titanium hip joint will be demonstrated on this machine.
The UCP 600 machine enables complex medical parts to be machined in a single setup and provides customers with manufacturing flexibility - vital when producing 'one-off' components and low volume parts.
The machine's advanced spindle and rotary, tilting table technology plus generous ATC capability, universal swarf management system etc ensure high accuracy, excellent surface finish and high material removal rates - and makes one-off component manufacture economically viable.
Mikron VCE 800 Pro - this high-performance 3-axis milling machine will be demonstrating both the machining of medical components and mould inserts used in the medical sector.
Using Delcam software - the VCE Pro machine with its fast process speeds (rapid traverse rates), high-performance spindle and powerful spindle torques will demonstrate its manufacturing capabilities and flexibilities across tough and demanding production environments.
3 - Agie EDM machine demonstrations - two Agie machines will be demonstrated at the Open House.
These are as follows.
Agietron Hyperspark 2 HS - this new high-performance spark erosion machine will demonstrate how, through monitoring of the spark conditions, the machine adapts and optimizes the EDM process to radically reduce cycle times.
The Hyperspark will also show how super fine finishes are achieved and surface integrity protected when machining a diverse range of materials (stainless steel, titanium, etc) The component being machined on the Hyperspark machine will be a simulation of a knee joint mould.
Agiecut Progress V2 - the Agie Progress machine provides users with fast removal rates and exceptional accuracy.
The machine's productivity is further enhanced by its new XP control system and easy-to-use job setup functions.
The machine will demonstrate these attributes and features when machining a bone saw guide made from aluminum using large diameter wires.
• Agie Charmilles: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
