Originally Published EMDM November 2005
EQUIPMENT NEWS
Vertical machining centre mills implants and surgical tools
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A CNC five-axis vertical machining center (VMC) performs high-precision milling of artificial shoulder and hip joints, surgical tools, and other medical devices, as well as prismatic components. The Vertex 550-5X is offered by Mitsui Machine Tool Europe GmbH (Neuss-Garmlinghausen, Germany).
The ultrarigid, box-in-a-box machine occupies 7 X 11 ft of floor space and features a work envelope of 21.6 X 23.6 X 17.7 in. With its rotary and tilt a- and c-axes, the machine provides five integrated axes of motion for essentially single-setup machining of complex workpieces with demanding rigidity and accuracy requirements. The three linear axes offer movements as fast as 1890 in./min, while the a- and c-axes perform at high radial speeds of 30 and 50 rpm, respectively.
Because the linear axes move the spindle only and only the rotary axes move the workpiece, the VMC gives the user good control of dynamics. It is equipped with a Fanuc 31i computer numerical control designed for high-speed applications.
Copyright ©2005 European Medical Device Manufacturer
