Originally Published EMDM January 2006
Medtec 2006 Preview
The EUPASS Project
Founded in 2004, EUPASS hopes to stem the outsourcing of product assembly to countries outside Europe by supporting precision microassembly in the European Union. Involving 21 partners in nine countries, the consortium seeks to develop reconfigurable assembly lines with open architecture. Specific technologies supported by the group include modular high-precision manipulators, grippers, and feeders. Other potential applications include microjoining techniques, micromechanical joints, nanodispensing, and laser welding. Working prototypes accessible to all users of ultraprecision assembly technology should be completed by the second quarter of 2006 in Nottingham, UK. Within the United Kingdom, EUPASS members TQC and the University of Nottingham Precision Assembly Group are concentrating on devices suited for medical device assembly.
Copyright ©2006 European Medical Device Manufacturer
