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May/Jun 2013  

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News/Features: Features
Electrospinning: mature technology being used in new ways

Electrostatic spinning can be used to create a wide array of micro- and nano-sized fibers. And because the process, patented in 1902 and usually called electrospinning, is straightforward, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to produce fibers.

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Implant Nation: Smaller parts, larger markets

Continued growth in the U.S. market for implantable medical devices should translate into both growing opportunities and challenges for companies that mold and machine tiny implant parts.

EDMing a micromold for implant parts. Photo courtesy MTD Micro Molding.

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Swiss-Style Success: Tools, tactics and tips for productive Swiss-style micromachining

By Glen Crews, Marubeni-Citizen Cincom, and Bill Kennedy, Contributing Editor

Some shops view making microparts on a Swiss-style machine as a “dark art,” but the process is just a different style of machining and not something mysterious. Success in this micro realm requires a blend of special tactics, attention to detail and top-quality tools and equipment.

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When ‘showing strain’ is a good thing

Strain gages were invented 70 years ago and have been used for years in products such as pressure sensors. Today, the gages are found in everything from small medical devices to aircraft components to bridge structures.

The electrical resistance of strain gages changes as the strain, or force, applied to them varies. Calculating that change provides the gages’ measurement capability.

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Semiconductor equipment maker reports increased revenue

Dec. 14, 2010—Not that the semiconductor industry needs more proof of its healthy outlook, but semiconductor equipment maker Gallant Precision Machining (GPM), Hsinchu, Taiwan, today announced revenues of $20.3 million in November—nearly twice the revenue earned in October, according to a DigiTimes report.

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Servometer names new marketing manager

Dec. 7, 2010—Servometer, a manufacturer of precision electrodeposited miniature metal bellows, bellows assemblies, bellows contact springs, flexible shaft couplings and structurally rigid electroforms, has named Greg Montrose as marketing manager.

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Cover Story: Small Measures

Taking the measure of microscale features

A key part of any process for making micro-scale parts is measuring them. Accurate measurements not only help manufacturers of microparts meet demanding customer requirements, they enable those manufacturers to maintain control and improve processes.

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Market Report: Safety Patrol

Microcomponents save lives in accidents and help keep cars out of danger

Arguably, no segment of manufacturing took as hard a beating during the Great Recession as the automotive industry. Weak sales, bankruptcies and government takeovers of two of the U.S. Big Three led to multiple plant closures and layoffs at the OEM level as well as comparable suffering at companies that made up the automotive supplier base.

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Photo-Machining teams two processes to tackle brittle workpieces

Photo-Machining teams two processes to tackle brittle workpieces

What do photolithography and sandblasting have in common? Not a lot, you might think. But the Photo-Machining Process (PMP), developed by Ikonics Industrial, combines the two to create an alternative to some conventional machining processes. PMP combines dry-film photolithography and dry-abrasive blasting to selectively pattern and remove materials from hard, brittle substrates, such as silicon, graphite, alumina, ceramics, glass, composites and sapphire.

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All Systems Go

Shop takes ‘systems’ approach to holding microparts

Accurately machining and measuring a part requires it to be located and clamped with precision that matches or exceeds specified final tolerances. Generally, a shop can combine good machine tools, vises and tooling to get a good result. But when working with micron-level tolerances, good is not good enough. Beyond assembling high-accuracy workholding components, it is crucial to control how they relate to each other as an integrated system, and assure they are applied in a repeatable, systematic manner.

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