Medical Application - Efficient machining of a hemostatic clamp

Medical technology challenges machining specialists with major tasks! Medical instruments also have to be manufactured ever more economically while maintaining consistent quality. Mikron Tool shows that this is possible by machining a hemostatic clamp from solid bar. The requirements are clearly defined: to radically reduce production time, complete production in one clamping, reduction of support bars, optimum surface quality and burr-free edges. That is already demanding, and so is the material: a 17-4PH martensitic stainless steel. Cool, cool and cool again! This is Mikron Tool's answer: the perfect interaction of all components and a dynamic process with milling from the solid on a high performing 5-axis CNC machining center with internal cooling of the spindle. This allows Mikron Tool to use tools with the unmatched and patented cooling system. The cooling channels integrated in the shank guide the coolant directly to the cutting edges and ensure constant and targeted cooling in any position. At the same time, the massive cooling jet continuously flushes the chips out of the milling zone. This benefits the surface quality of the component and the tool life. Thanks to the constantly cooled tool, high operating parameters are also possible in terms of cutting speed, feed rate and infeed, which significantly reduce the machining time. Zero-point-clamping Thanks to the zero-point clamping system selected by Mikron Tool, the workpiece, fixtures, and clamping devices can be positioned, fixed and clamped quickly and precisely in a single operation. In this way, set-up times are drastically reduced. A decisive factor when it comes to cost savings in the process chain. Dynamic milling strategy A dynamic milling strategy is the key to success. In total, Mikron Tool uses 10 tools, all specially designed for machining stainless steel: a plunge cutter, various 4-tooth roughing and finishing cutters, a deburring cutter and two dovetail cutters. R&D Manager Dr. Gotti highlights a few details of the milling strategy: "Due to the zero-point clamping and due to the completion in only one clamping, avoiding high forces was our main concern. Our professionals chose a dynamic strategy: high cutting speeds (up to 220 m/min during roughing), high feeds fz (up to 0.15 mm) and a high axial (ap) but a low radial infeed (ae). The result must fit To get the most out of production, the focus must be on the perfect machining strategy. Machine, tools, clamping, cooling: an interaction of all those involved that is coordinated down to the last detail delivers the targeted result. And this is unbelievable: Machining time was reduced from 59 to 35 min and in terms of surface finish, the required quality of Ra 0.4 µm was significantly undercut by achieving 0.2 µm. For Rz, the values were 0.6 µm. More about Mikron Tool Homepage: https://www.mikrontool.com/en Crazy Tools: https://www.mikrontool.com/en/Products/Crazy-tools Crazy Services: https://www.mikrontool.com/en/products/crazy-services/general-information Follow Mikron Tool LinkedIn: https://ch.linkedin.com/company/mikron-tool Contact Mikron Tool https://www.mikrontool.com/en/Contact-Locations/Local-Contacts