MEDICAL HEAT TREAT Archives - Page 7 of 12

ECG Technology Allows Robust Processing of Heat-Treated Steel

A medical devices design and manufacturing firm recently expanded its Electrochemical Grinding (ECG) technology, enabling it to provide more robust processing of harder materials such as spring-tempered steel and heat-treated stainless steel.

Cadence Inc, which is headquartered in Staunton, Virginia, installed its latest equipment for processing profile grinding- shavers and related products at the company’s Cranston, Rhode Island, facility. The expansion incorporates high precision, burr-free grinding with CNC control

“This latest technology allows us to produce high precision, burr-free point grinding, as well as complex geometries with a cost-effective process for our customers,” stated John Rose, Senior Project Engineer at Cadence RI. “Some of our current operations such as tube cutting, stylet notch cuts, and trocar tip forms are now burr free in one efficient process.”

The new ECG technology also allows grinding to extremely tight tolerances and very low cutting forces for thin wall parts. Furthermore, Cadence can cut almost all types of metals burr-free with this new technology.

In addition to medical devices, Cadence manufactures life science and industrial products.

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Medical Grade Stainless Steel “Smart Stent” Detects Narrowing of Arteries

July 13, 2018 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

For every three individuals who have had a stent implanted to keep clogged arteries open and prevent a heart attack, at least one will experience restenosis—the renewed narrowing of the artery due to plaque buildup or scarring—which can lead to additional complications.

Now, a team led by UBC electrical and computer engineering professor Kenichi Takahata has developed a type of “smart stent” that monitors even subtle changes in the flow of blood through the artery, detecting the narrowing in its earliest stages and making early diagnosis and treatment possible.

“We modified a stent to function as a miniature antenna and added a special micro-sensor that we developed to continuously track blood flow. The data can then be sent wirelessly to an external reader, providing constantly updated information on the artery’s condition,” said Takahata.

The device uses medical-grade stainless steel and looks similar to most commercial stents. Researchers say it’s the first angioplasty-ready smart stent—it can be implanted using current medical procedures without modifications.

Research collaborator Dr. York Hsiang, a UBC professor of surgery and a vascular surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, noted that monitoring for restenosis is critical in managing heart disease.

“X-rays such as CT or diagnostic angiograms, which are the standard tools for diagnosis, can be impractical or inconvenient for the patient,” said Hsiang. “Putting a smart stent in place of a standard one can enable physicians to monitor their patient’s health more easily and offer treatment, if needed, in a timely manner.”

The device prototype was successfully tested in the lab and in a swine model. Takahata, who holds patents for the technology, says his team is planning to establish industry partnerships to further refine the device, put it through clinical trials and eventually commercialize it.

The research is described in the May issue of Advanced Science and featured on its front cover. Engineering researcher Xing Chen, now a research associate at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Babak Assadsangabi, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s faculty of applied science, also contributed to the study.

Photo credit: University of British Columbia; photo caption: The device uses medical-grade stainless steel and looks similar to most commercial stents.

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Heat Treatment to Strengthen Stents

June 18, 2018 / MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Source: Buehler.com

Manufactured from titanium, 316L steel, cobalt chromium alloys, platinum chromium, titanium (Ti6Al4VELI) and nitinol alloys, medical stents are a critical component in treatments that require mesh scaffolding to open blocked vessels or ducts. In order to validate the thickness of the walls or strengthen the stent where modifications have taken place, manufacturers utilize laser machining, which can result in microstructural changes to the alloy. Heat treatment enters as a vital process to relieve internal stresses and improve fatigue properties.

“Nitinol stents which are generally self-expanding utilize the elastic properties of the alloy and require a shape-setting process to fix the final shape of the stent,” write Dr. E. Mogire and D. Crozet in a paper recently published by Buehler.

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Medical Devices Manufacturer Modernizes Furnaces with Process Control Upgrades

June 1, 2018 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

A medical implants manufacturer recently modernized three vacuum furnaces at its Memphis, Tennessee, facility, with process control upgrades from a provider of industrial process control and automation to heat treatment and combustion markets.

Orchid Orthopedic Solutions (Orchid Memphis) commissioned the upgraded process controls from United Process Controls (UPC), headquartered in West Chester, Ohio, for Ipsen VFS vacuum furnaces, retrofitting two furnaces with replacement controls and a total control system replacement for the third furnace. Orchid Memphis was contending with underperforming controls that were compromising furnace efficacy, productivity, and uptime. Additionally, insufficient automation made it harder to push towards a paperless approach to reporting, traceability, and diagnostics.

All systems feature Protherm 700 controllers, and soft start panels were introduced to help lower energy costs during quenching. The upgraded systems also include chart recording and recipe control, the latter of which incorporates specific programming for automatic leak test cycles and guaranteed soak for medical industry requirements – tasks that were previously monitored and recorded manually. The improvements also make it easier for Orchid Memphis to streamline its maintenance process and manage maintenance tasks. This way, leak-up rates, events, and alarms are automatically and accurately reported. Moreover, upgrading with new controls and automation ensures that Orchid Memphis meets the more complex and stringent requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical implants.

“There was no need to start from scratch,” noted Rob Freeman, UPC services engineer heading the upgrade. “The furnaces were robust, but existing controls needed re-engineering to enhance the flexibility of operations and to meet the specific needs of Orchid Memphis in a cost-effective manner. By maintaining a focus on long-term operations, furnaces were upgraded to new business demands without incurring high upfront costs associated with new assets.”

Another key aspect of the upgrade was SCADA integration leading to unified operations. In the final stage of the project, the furnace controls were connected to the Protherm 9800 automation platform, which is configured to improve workflow efficiency, optimize furnace utilization, track work orders, and view real-time performance metrics.

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Indiana Heat Treater Builds to House HIP, New Equipment

May 23, 2018 / AEROSPACE HEAT TREAT, FEATURED NEWS, HIPING NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT

A vacuum heat treater which specializes in processing components for aerospace and medical applications recently announced an addition to its facility in Warsaw, Indiana, for the purpose of housing newly acquired equipment.

Lake City Heat Treating has expanded with the construction of a 6,000-square foot addition to accommodate growth in production and an increase in its heat treating capabilities. The new building allows Lake City Heat Treating the space to bring in new machines and equipment, including a new hot isostatic press in late fall 2018.

Lake City Heat Treating provides heat treating of stainless steels, cobalt and nickel alloys and vacuum heat treatable steels for aerospace, medical and other quality-critical industries, as well as cryogenic, hot isostatic pressing, and tempering services.

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Heat Treatment Sector to Contribute to Medical Technology Research for Improved Health Care, Medical Devices

May 14, 2018 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

The Heat Treatment Pty Ltd. of Queensland, Australia, will contribute to a new research hub set to drive advances in Australia’s medical technology sector by developing cost-competitive technologies for the rapid production of medical devices.

Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology have teamed up with experts from industry, government, and academia to launch the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Advanced Manufacturing of Medical Devices (AMMD Hub).

With researchers based at Cook Medical Australia, the AMMD Hub will focus on the development of advanced materials, improved manufacturing technologies and flexible processing capabilities.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said one of the key goals for this hub was to create better health outcomes for patients in Australia and around the globe.

“One of the intended outcomes is to reduce the time it takes to design, manufacture and supply custom-made medical devices such as endovascular stent grafts for patients with aortic aneurysm – an increasingly common condition that currently has post-rupture survival rates of only 10 to 20 per cent,” said Professor Høj. “It’s an exciting venture with lots of potential, and we look forward to celebrating the results.”

Professor Sue Thomas, Australian Research Council CEO

Researchers have already begun work in the area of lean manufacturing to improve the production times of custom-made devices to surgeons. Projects looking at adaptive automation systems, metallic biomaterials, and collaborative robotics are also underway.

“This Research Hub’s industry-focused research collaboration will develop new, advanced materials and processes that will not only lead to tangible health outcomes for Australians but also drive new technologies and skills that are vital for the competitiveness of Australia’s medical devices industry,” said Professor Sue Thomas, Australian Research Council CEO.

The AMMD Hub brings together researchers from UQ, The University of the Sunshine Coast, The University of Sydney and RMIT with industry partners including Cook Medical Australia Pty Ltd., Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty Ltd., Heat Treatment (Qld) Pty Ltd. and QMI Solutions Ltd.

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Economy Spring Plans Move to New Facility, Expanding Manufacturing Capacity

March 27, 2018 / MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

A Connecticut producer of precision metal components plans to relocate its manufacturing operations to a significantly larger facility in Southington, Connecticut in early 2019.

Economy Spring, whose current facility is pictured here, plans relocation to larger facility.

Economy Spring, an MW Industries company, announced that this expansion is fueled by the rapid growth of Economy Spring’s coiled springs, wire forms, and product assemblies sold to customers in medical and pharmaceutical applications. The new 216,000 square foot facility will be over twice the footprint of the existing Southington facility. Equipment will be moved in various stages during 2018 and 2019 with no expected operational impact to customers.

The company manufactures a broad range of medical and pharmaceutical products such as but not limited to surgical staples, hypodermic needles, and implantable titanium products.

“Economy Spring’s growth means we need more space to meet future customer demand. By selecting a facility just a mile down the road, we expect complete retention of our committed, technical, and highly experienced workforce,” explained Tim Thompson, senior vice president and general manager of Economy Spring. “Our transition plans include building finished goods inventory and communicating closely with customers to ensure a seamless transition.”

Photo credit: Pixabay

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Med Device Structural Accuracy Demands Advanced 3-D Process, Heat Treatment

March 6, 2018 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Heat treatment plays a vital role in the accurate production of patient-specific joints and prostheses at a Lithuanian manufacturer and provider of 3D-printed patient-specific implants, endoprosthesis, and surgical guides and services in the EU, where researchers have leveraged the metrology scanning solutions of Nikon Metrology.

Baltic Orthoservice, based in Kaunas, combines the Nikon technologies of multi-sensor CCM and laser scanner with a micro-CT system to guarantee internal structural quality and geometric accuracy to achieve improved production of a wide variety of medical services. For manufacturing patient-specific implants, Baltic Orthoservice uses DMLS technology (direct metal laser sintering). The implants then undergo a variety of post-processing steps, including heat treatment, surface polishing and milling for screw holes.

The complete process and treatment solution allows for single-device design with “anatomically adapted surfaces. This eliminates the risk of instability and adapts the implant to the bone rather than the bone to the implant,” explained Milda Jokymaitytè, Clinical Engineer at Baltic Orthoservice. A major benefit of this procedure is that during surgery, there is no need to shape the bone in order to adapt it to the implant or use bone cement, meshes and augments to fill the bone defect. Patient-specific implants are designed using virtual anatomical bone models which are obtained from medical computed tomography (CT) scan of a patient.

Domantas Ozerenskis – Product Quality Manager at Ortho Baltic with the Nikon Metrology XT H 225.

“3D printing is a complicated technology and there is a big variation in processing parameters, so predicting the quality and geometry of printed objects is quite a challenge,” said Paulius Lukševičius, engineer of mechanics at Baltic Orthoservice. “Patient-specific implants are a bespoke treatment solution, which means that the surgery must be ‘pre-planned’ virtually so the implant can simply be put in place. To be able to execute the virtual plan, it is vital to be 100% sure that the implant geometry is exactly the same as the CAD model and that the holes are machined to high accuracy.”

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Swedish Group Invests in Titanium, Nickel-Based Metal Powders Production

March 1, 2018 / FEATURED NEWS, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS, SINTERING POWDER METAL NEWS, TITANIUM PROCESSING NEWS

Annika Roos, head of product area powder at Sandvik Materials Technology

A Swedish engineering group in metal-cutting and materials technology recently announced that it will invest about $24.5 million in a new plant for manufacturing of titanium and nickel fine metal powders near its raw material supply and additive manufacturing center in Sandviken, Sweden.

The group’s investment within Sandvik’s Materials Technology will complement its manufacture of broad stainless steel, nickel-based, and cobalt-chromium alloys in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Sandvik powders reach sectors throughout Europe, North America, and Asia through the Osprey™ brand.

The demand for metal powder for additive manufacturing is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Titanium and nickel-based alloys are key growth areas in the field of additive manufacturing, accounting for a significant portion of the metal powder market.

“This investment is an enabler for future growth and means that we are expanding our metal powder offering to include virtually all alloy groups of relevance today. In addition, it will also support the overall additive manufacturing business at Sandvik,” said Annika Roos, head of product area powder at Sandvik Materials Technology.

The facility is expected to be operational during 2020.

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Researchers Develop Bacteria-Unfriendly Stainless Steel for Medical Devices

February 5, 2018 / MEDICAL HEAT TREAT, MEDICAL HEAT TREAT NEWS

Source: Phys.org

Antonio Nanci, study supervisor and anatomist in cell biology who runs the Laboratory for the Study of Calcified Tissues and Biomaterials

Surgical medicine has for years depended upon stainless steel for medical devices such coronary stents, hip-implant stems, and spinal-disc replacements, for a variety of surgical tools such as scalpels and forceps, and for operating tables. However, allergic and toxic reactions that trigger rejection by the body have driven researchers to develop a stainless steel component that will resist the buildup of harmful bacteria, among other flaws.

Scientists at Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Dental Medicine, along with a colleague from the Department of Chemistry, have discovered a way to improve the efficacy of stainless steel by changing its surface through the creation of a nanoscale network of pores — a process called nanocavitation.

“The beauty of it is its simplicity and capacity to simultaneously improve cellular response and limit bacterial expansion,” said the study’s supervisor, Antonio Nanci, an anatomist in cell biology who runs the Laboratory for the Study of Calcified Tissues and Biomaterials, adding, “Basically, we took the simple methods we developed for titanium in dental implants and adapted them to stainless steel, and it works very well. Stainless steel is very resistant to chemical treatment, and a lot of people have tried over the years to make the surface functional. It’s a tough material to deal with. But we’ve pierced the problem.”

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