Here’s a great idea for:
Machining composite materials
KOMET RHOBEST tool program A standard range of tools specifi cally designed for composite materials
Lasers in Medical Manufacturing
ing for complex components, are able to process a wide variety of materials and are faster than other methods. Of Capp’s 40 laser systems, 15 are dedicated to stent-making and run 24/5. He said he does have a favorite machine for cutting the tiny metal tubes. “YAG lasers are excellent lasers for cutting metal stents,” said Capp. “We still use YAGs every day to cut stents.”
But some companies use a different laser that reduces some other, downstream costs that YAGs do not deal with. Weiler said his company can cut metal stents with ultrafast, pico- and femtosec- ond lasers that operate without producing a heat-affected zone, which can cause burrs or other clot-inducing defects, if not outright rejection for use. That eliminates the need for postprocessing, which is very costly.
The idea:
Achieving cutting performance and tool life in highly abrasive materials.
Why it’s great: • Standard drills and milling cutters with proprietary diamond coating
• For machining CFRP, graphite, and aluminum alloys
• Engineering and testing capabilities to deliver application-specifi c tools for your unique machining operations
Learn more about this and other great ideas.
Go to
www.komet.com/greatideas or scan this QR code.
This bioresorbable PLGA stent, with a 200-micron strut width, was fabricated with a Spectra-Physics Spirit femtosecond laser.
Why is postprocessing so expensive? Weiler offers a suprising reason. “It was explained to me that only the human eye in combination with the human brain can be trained to look at the stent under various angles and identify a burr or another feature that needs to be taken care of,” he said.
In other words, postprocessing for the metal stents has to be done by hand.
Temp Workers The polymer-based bioresorables that manufacturers are now making break down inside the human body to water and naturally occurring chemicals such as lactic acid. Not all bioresorbable stents are made from polymers; they can also be made from zinc, magnesium or iron.
TOOLS PLUS IDEAS
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ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | May 2014
Commonly used polymers are polylactic acid (aka polyactide or PLA); poly(lactic- co-glycolic acid) (aka PLGA); and poly (L-lactide) (aka PLLA). They have the added advantage of being able to release medication inside the body as they degrade. Because of their temporary nature, these stents are often called scaffolds. The term “bioresorbable” is interchangeable with “bioabsorbable” and “dissolvable.”
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