that is validated right from the start, Callander says. “The 430 is designed for lasers that are either directly or fi ber-delivered. It is also possible to use a lot of the same system components and deliver the wavelength that best suits the application. For example, a laser with a wavelength in the green is ideal for precision cutting because of the high absorption and ultrafi ne spot sizes. We can change the optics, but the basics and the machine control don’t change. “The micromachining of coronary stents was a key aspect
of the medical system device world,” he adds. “It opened up a lot of eyes on what could be done with lasers.” While the ultra-short-pulse lasers have appeal, those systems are still coming up short, he notes. “They’re not too cost-effective, because they’re still too slow. A typical 10 or 12-mm stent can be cut in minutes with a fi ber laser.”
For most medical applications, high-precision cutting is a given on parts requiring the highest accuracy possible. With the growing numbers of aging Americans requiring ever-
increasing joint replacement surgeries, the medical market remains strong, notes Mazak Optonics’ Keith Leuthold. Mazak Optonics’ STX 44 laser is specifi cally aimed at medical products that can be accommodated on the unit’s 4 × 4' (1.2 × 1.2-m) table, he says. “What makes this machine unique is that it’s a precision ballscrew,” he says. “When dealing with customers’ medical components, they not only need high precision but stability.” The STX 44 system features a cast-iron frame made of Meehanite, he says, offering stiffer properties than standard granite. The biggest problem of any machine is the vibration, and the size of a laser beam is about four to six thousandths in diameter,” he states. “The precision on how to focus that beam is crucial. A human hair is about two thousandths.”
Hybrid Lasers Cut Bone Saws With the latest-generation hybrid HVII laser system from Mitsubishi Laser/MC Machinery Inc. (Wood Dale, IL), one
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