Feature Medical Equipment Aiding molecule-accurate technology
WDS Fixturing Systems, a division of WDS Component Parts, has worked closely with a specialist UK manufacturer of medical devices to help develop the machining process for stainless steel components used in metering equipment so accurate it can measure down to individual molecules
ue to a recent increase in demand, WDS was tasked with upgrading the existing work- holding solution to enable machine capacity to quadruple - allowing a two stage drilling and ream- ing operation to be completed 4x up on a new 5-axis CNC machine. The components are known as ‘Ion Blocks’ and required many small holes to be drilled and reamed into them. This type of complex component required a specialised workholding solution to
D
ohn Backes, associate director at Rigel Medical, has highlighted the urgent need for regular test- ing of in-service health equipment. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration, US) and MHRA (Department of Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, UK), has warned that tens of thousands of Automatic External
J
Defibrillators (AED) in pub- lic places like shopping centres and airports may not
work because of defective components (like 14 Above: WDS
engineers were able to design a Cube Fixture solution
Right: WDS has been supplying both off the shelf and bespoke workholding systems since the first CNCs were introduced
ensure fast changeovers, repeatability and accuracy over the two stage machin- ing operation. WDS engineers were able to design a Cube Fixture solution which would allow 4x up components with precision chucks for the first machining operation and bespoke fixture plates to locate and bolt the components for the final finish milling operation. Nick Gautier, project and technical sales engineer for WDS Fixturing Systems, commented, “The medical device company was already aware of WDS’ capabilities as we had provided them with an earlier two stage work- holding solution. The challenge this time was to develop a way of mount- ing four work pieces in a very tight area on the new 5-axis machine. WDS carried out a site visit to meet with the head engineer and measure the cutter paths and spindle clearances of the new machine to make sure our cube design would work. The compo- nents need to be extremely accurate and designed specifically for the application - fortunately our own manufacturing expertise allows us to deliver on this.”
A head-start
WDS has been supplying both off-the- shelf and bespoke fixturing and work- holding systems for CNC machining applications since the very first CNCs were introduced. The company offers a range of core work piece support ele- ments such as baseplates 3,000mm x 1,800mm; cubes and double siders up
to 1,000mm x 1,300mm and 3,700mm x 2,000mm jigs with boring capacity - all in cast iron or aluminium - a solu- tion suitable for most machine centre pallet sizes and can easily be adapted for specialist applications such as this. Gautier concluded, “When manu- facturing medical equipment it is essential that components are held in place accurately and without risk of damage. We specialise in bespoke solutions to very high tolerances in a range of materials and in this instance our experience, in-house manufacturing capacity and site visits to inspect the CNC machine and discuss the solution with engi- neers on-site ensured we were then able to provide an ideal solution.”
WDS Fixturing Systems
www.wdsltd.co.uk T: 0113 290 9852
Concern over latest faulty heart defibrillator report
batteries) that could unexpectedly fail. Backes claims the news highlights a problem facing potentially thousands of automatic defibrilla- tors installed across the UK and an even greater number globally. He stressed the need to ensure AEDs are regu- larly checked and tested as people’s lives could be placed at risk by faulty or failing equipment. “This is the latest report of problems associated with this type of medical device used in public places, so it’s vital they are properly checked and maintained. “Many people are under the (false) impression that these automatic defibrillators have an auto-test function that can highlight component failures, but both FDA and MHRA reports clearly show that this
is not always the case. “Testing these AEDs is easy, relatively inex- pensive, yet vital, and owners and operators could benefit by using the latest generation of easy to use, portable and light weight analysers to quick- ly and easily verify the safe operation and func- tionality of equipment.”
For instance, the Rigel Medical UNI-PULSE defib- rillator analyser (pictured), features advanced mea- surement technology - the battery powered analyser offers both manual and automatic test programs for the safe testing of all mono-phasic, bi-phasic and pulsed waveform defibrillators and AEDs. Rigel Medical
www.rigelmedical.com T: 0191 587 8730
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