An artificial hip consists of two parts, the ball and the cup, both of which have to be manufactured with high precision.
Challenge: How do you produce components that will live up to the demands of modern medical implant technology?
Solution: Use of comprehensive tooling program that builds on the knowledge of machining of difficult materials.
Whether destined for a lifetime’s performance in the human body or to support healing, modern medical component manufacturing combines the need for precision and high tolerances with the challenge of working with difficult-to machine materials.
Sandvik Coromant has made a consider able investment in products, competence and support for small part machining processes that lie at the heart of manufacturing medical components such as bone screws. Increasingly medicine is exploiting the potential of a range of biocompatible materials such as cobalt chromium, stainless steel (316LVM) and titanium for an ever-broader application area.
Within the Sandvik Group, Sandvik Bioline has its own range of materials for these applications. Sandvik Coromant also has a wide product program and knowledge in how to machine difficult materials and has worked closely with other related specialists to understand all aspects of the production process. It has already successfully applied that knowledge to hip implants with solutions for machining key artificial hip components such as the ball and the cup. The cup solution, using spherical turning with round inserts, has gained wide industry acceptance, doubling productivity and reducing tool costs by a third.
Each material presents its own challenges in terms of machining, although high tolerance products with good surface finishes in demanding materials are common to all. Care must be taken to control chips and ensure deburring of the material during manufacture and to produce the right component characteristics.
Medical implants such as bone screws are made of materials that are challenging to machine.
Medical implant components such as bone screws are often long and slender, and each has its own unique design according to the application and the best way of integrating the implant into the body. More specifically, there is a need for tools that have sharp cutting edges and can meet tight tolerances for turning, grooving and threading within a mass production environment and that are suitable for difficult-to-machine materials.
Sandvik Coromant has developed a specific program for small part machining that covers a large assortment of tools in processes such as external and internal machining, milling and drilling. The program is integrated into a quick tool change system for sliding head machines, facilitating fast indexing.
CoroTurn 107 is the first choice for general turning and internal machining of small and medium holes from 6 millimeters. In addition, GC1105 has been specially developed for working with materials used for bone screws. CoroCut MB and CoroTurn XS provide turning, grooving and threading, thus offering a range of small tooling solutions that can offer drilling diameters down to .3 millimeters. Coupled with this, indexable inserts such as the new DCET offer an extremely sharp edge profile, thanks to thin-layer PVD coating technology combined with good economics in operation. The CoroTurn XS turning inserts are made for high precision. Solid carbide drills and endmills in the CoroMill Plura and CoroDrill Delta-C range are aimed at small part machine operations.
Benefits
- Increased productivity
- Economical solution for volume production
- Secure and stable processing
- Chip and burr control
- Micron tolerance capability
Technical Facts
Tooling Solutions:
Inserts and Grades:
Learn more about Tooling Solutions from Sandvik Coromant.
Case Study: Dental Instrument Company
A quick tool change system adopted for a dental instrument company reduced tool changing time from three minutes to 20 to 30 seconds for the production of dental drill components. The company works with materials such as titanium and stainless steels.
The result was an annual total time savings of 67 hours of production and cost savings of more than 4,000 euros. In addition, the number of parts per tool increased from 1,000 to 2,500.
Learn more about Turning Solutions from Sandvik Coromant.
Case Study: Medical Components Manufacturer
An original tool solution helped to optimize production of a variety of small medical components at a German company. The solution was based on CoroTurn XS and CoroCut XS tooling.
The component had an outer diameter of only 1 millimeter and required a 0.3- millimeter internal drilling operation that often led to quality problems.
With the Sandvik Coromant tool solution, the company recorded a quantum leap in productivity, with annual savings of 57 machine hours and 13,000 euros and an output increase to 50,000 components a year.
Learn more about Tooling Solutions from Sandvik Coromant.
Originally published in Metalworking World 2.2008, a business magazine published by Sandvik Coromant.
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