Difficult-to-machine materials, complex workpiece shapes, and frequent small-batch production put high demands on the tools used to process professional medical parts and equipment. In the new wave of global economic integration, the global manufacturing industry is accelerating the transfer to mainland China. This is the general trend, and China will gradually develop into a world-class manufacturing base.
"Global general machinery, automobiles, aerospace, energy, medical, rail transportation, mold machine tools and other industries are inseparable from tool equipment." From the perspective of future development trends, the global tool market is expected to grow by 3% to 5% annually in the next 5 years. At this rate of growth, we still rank first in the world. From the perspective of domestic tool supply, domestically-made tools occupy the mainstream position, reaching 65%.
The medical device industry is showing a dynamic growth trend. Medical device manufacturers are also constantly looking for better turning centers and tools to enhance their competitive advantages. This has also become an important channel for the growth of the tool industry.
1. The medical device industry puts forward new requirements for professional precision tools
Difficult to process materials, complex workpiece shapes, and frequent small batch production put high demands on the cutting tools used to process professional medical equipment. Such as transplantation products and artificial limbs, play a very important role in successful surgical operations, and can help surgeons achieve the best medical results. The knives used to process medical devices largely determine the quality of medical devices.
The use of cutting tools in the manufacture of medical devices is diverse and extensive, and can process relatively simple workpieces such as large equipment (such as computer tomography) shells, and for the production of transplanted products or workpieces used to repair skull bones or treat fractures More challenging.
1. Precision-the most basic requirement
Tolerances in the micron range are very common in the medical industry. Choosing the right tool requires keen insight and rich experience. On the one hand, even when drilling small holes, it is necessary to use lubricants to reduce friction, reliably dissipate heat and deal with fine iron filings at the blade; on the other hand, when producing cutting-edge medical devices (without burrs), sharpness and smooth operation are required. Cutting tools to obtain a high-quality surface. Commonly used cutting tools are high-speed steel drill bits or solid carbide drill bits.
For example, the Walter Titex drill bit of the German Walter Group is aimed at processing difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, stainless steel, precious metals and even composite materials. The standard size of the machining center hole of this series of products is 0.05-46mm, The diameter of the cold drill bit can reach 0.75mm.
2. Milling and drilling-tooth restoration
As a standard, the diameter range of the Protostar series solid carbide tools of Walter Prototyp product of Walter Group is 0.3-20mm. Pratt's production plant is located in Germany and is a well-known supplier in the medical industry. Its taps and thread milling cutters are mainly used to process titanium alloys, such as bone screws or hip joints, and thread milling cutters with a diameter of 1.6 mm can also be used to produce dental restoration products.
3. Customized composite tool solutions save time and money
Like companies in other industries, companies in the medical industry are also facing increasing cost pressures. If a company wants to stand on the international stage with fierce competition, it must produce high-quality products at low cost. For transplanted products (generally made of high-alloy steel, titanium or titanium alloys), special materials and complex workpiece geometries pose great challenges to the accuracy of the products.
For some processing, three standard tools may be needed before, but now only one composite tool is needed, replacing the previous three processes with one process, thus saving time and cost.
For example, processing 1500 workpieces, saving 2 minutes for each workpiece, you can save 50 hours of machine man-hours. The disadvantage of this composite tool solution is that it is not reflected in the general tool catalog. The "CATexpress" customized non-standard tool service proposed by Walter Company is different from the regular non-standard service. The delivery time can be reduced from 6-8 weeks to 14 days. The service is based on a special software program. When the user connects to the Internet and enters all the information (such as application information or machine tool type), the system will output an order record containing the required parameters. After the company receives the order, it can start producing the required non-standard tools in the shortest time.
