Marshall offers automated medical machining

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Jan 18, 2010

Marshall Manufacturing is now offering four Swiss machines that operate together with no operator intervention, utilising two robots, a parts-cleaning station and inspection system.

The automated cell is designed to produce precision families of different medical components and is said to optimise speed, quality and economy.

The system is designed to produce a range of feature-generating techniques.

Along with standard milling and turning, the system can broach, polygon mill, hone, knurl, burnish, hob (gear cutting) and thread (including thread whirling and thread rolling), as well as other complex machining processes.

Part diameters range from 0.050-0.750in (1.27-19mm) in lengths to 10in (250mm).

The cell is designed to create specific manufacturing processes for longer-running jobs for the most cost-effective per-unit cost.

The cell optimises processes and provides a flexible delivery schedule in medium to high volumes (20,000 to 500,000 pieces annually).

Marshall Manufacturing said the automated cell is a very cost-effective choice for producing families of similar parts.

Once a process is created, the cell is designed to minimise changeover between parts.

Process standardisation (pre-set cutting tools, custom-designed pick-off and ejection tooling, CAM program generation and programming adaptations utilising macros, and so on) is said to allow seamless changeover from one part to the next.

In addition, the ability to switch over quickly between different longer-running jobs allows lower inventory levels while providing delivery schedule flexibility.