different angles on different geometries that they cut, and being able to cut 3-D shapes in the tube without having to take the part out, re-tool it, put it back in, or take it over to another machine,” he adds. “So there are some advantages there for the lasers in multiple areas, particularly in the sinker EDM, which is probably four to five times slower, if not more, than laser cutting. When you look up the price per part, it’s significantly more than laser cutting, and that’s obvi- ously driving a lot of the changeover.”
Price Pinching in Medical
The medical industry has always been cost-conscious but in recent years it has become much more so. “Perhaps four–five years ago, it probably wasn’t quite as aggressive as it is right now,” Shannon notes. “What’s also driving laser cutting is the high-speed/high- quality capability—laser are very flexible and cut lots of materials, thicknesses, shapes and high-mix parts.” Allan Callander of Prima Power Laserdyne LLC (Champlin, MN) concurs with that assessment, noting medical builders are looking for cost-effective, validated manufacturing processes. “There used to be a perception in medi- cal device technology that price was no object. That has changed,” Callander states. “The engineers have to think of this right from the start.”
Medical device makers need stable, proven manufacturing processes, he says. “It’s absolutely a renewed empha- sis on cost, and increasing emphasis on process validation. They work so hard to make sure that the process is validated and can meet FDA requirements.” For medical, Prima offers its Laser- dyne 430 fiber laser system along with its System 94 software and hardware
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