Back Issues

Jan/Feb 2012  
News/Features: Features
Pressing On

Company invests in molding equipment, employees to tap new markets

Dynomax Inc. is seeing strong growth in defense and aerospace orders for its micro-injection-molded products. While many companies might be satisfied with that, Dynomax wants more. It has targeted the medical industry for new business.

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Joints are Jumping

Micropart makers get a lift from thriving small-implant market

Though dwarfed by the more established hip-and-knee market, the orthopedic niche known as small bone and joint (SBJ) is growing much faster, providing new opportunities for large and small medical device firms as well as their suppliers.

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Small and tough: shop floor measuring devices

Micromanufacturers that make complex parts often need to invest in high-precision, shop-floor metrology equipment. These microscopes, measurement probes, coordinate-measuring machines and other devices must be able to withstand the effects of dust, temperature swings, light and humidity to ensure accurate measurement.

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Vacuum Assist

Here’s a riddle: Without touching them, how do you pick up small, delicate parts, such as those with ultrafine finishes or tiny, electronic components sensitive to electrostatic discharge? Answer: With vacuum tweezers.

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Well Put-Together

Add up the variety of parts, performance specifications and volume requirements involved in automatically assembling a multicomponent micro product and the result is a bewildering sum of possible hardware- and software-based automation engineering solutions.

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Choose the right insert for Swiss-style turning

When turning 2mm-dia. and smaller parts on a Swiss-style machine, it only makes sense that the radius on the tool should be equally tiny. After all, you can’t cut a 0.5mm bone screw with a TNMG-431 insert—the tool’s nose radius is nearly as big as the part.

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From stringy to sandy

Imparting a fine surface finish is usually paramount when machining medical parts. For example, at Acumed LLC, which makes orthopedic tools and implants, surface finish requirements range from about 32 to 8 rms, noted Randy Singer, machinist level 4 for the Hillsboro, Ore., manufacturer.

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Hexapods offer agile motion for micromachining

Some consider it exotic and pricey, but a nimble, six-legged device has the moves to make it a useful addition to many micromachining operations.

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2-D + 3-D = Better Measurement

Stylus and optical surface metrology: the best of both worlds

Stylus profilers have been the primary tools for surface-finish measurement for many decades, providing cost-effective, rapid and quantifiable surface roughness and form information via single or multiple traces across samples. Most surface-finish standards are based on 2-D stylus parameters such as Ra, Rpm or Rz.

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Nanotech group tackles ‘grand challenges’

Imec, an international consortium focused on micro and nano technology, has a large global staff, and that’s a good thing because it has a lot on its plate.

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