Moving into medical with laser precision

Throughout the past several years, Providence Texture has experienced an influx of medical work, most of which begins as development projects that become full production jobs. According to company President and CEO Matt Melonio, this shift to actual medical component production was a natural progression from the shop’s work laser texturingand micromachining medical molds. However, what really helped catapult the Smithfield, Rhode Island, shop further into the medical manufacturing sector was its acquisition of full 5-axis femtosecond laser texturing and laser micromachining technologies.

In its early stages, Providence Texture’s jobs involved small lot sizes ranging from 1 to 50 pieces, with average orders consisting of three to four parts. That’s changed now that the shop gained its ISO 13845 medical certification – and transitioned from research and development (R&D) work to high volume, producing tens of thousands of parts annually for some customers.

“What we learned early on in the medical industry is, depending on the type of medical work, a shop can focus either on R&D or production work,” Melonio says. “We’re in a unique position where we do both, and that’s because we started out well equipped from day one as opposed to adding technology when business growth dictated. Instead, we acquired the technology, then built our customer base from there. Yes, it was a gamble, but it paid off because when potential customers saw our level of manufacturing capability, they gave us the work – both R&D and production.”

The shop started out with nanosecond laser texturing systems and femtosecond technology, offering many benefits such as higher-quality part surface finishes. With femtosecond lasers, virtually no heat passes from the laser pulse into the part material, and that means no heat affected zones (HAZ), which is critical when producing medical parts.

The absence of an HAZ also means the laser technology applies to a wider range of materials, everything from mild and very hard tool steels, Inconel, silicon carbide, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), sapphire, and various types of ceramics. Another benefit related to the lower process heat of femtosecond laser technology is the lack of recast layers – redeposited materials that solidify again around the edge of the laser machined part section.

Investing in technology

The company’s laser texturing and laser micromachining systems are full 5-axis machines from GF Machining Solutions. These include LASER P 1000 U 5Ax, the LASER P 1200 U 5Ax, and the shop’s first Laser P 400 U 5Ax, a dual laser source system with nanosecond and femtosecond lasers that sees the greatest variety of work. With it, the shop has the freedom to fine-tune its quality-to-speed ratio according to the application at hand.

Providence Texture’s LASER P 1000 U 5Ax and Laser P 400 U 5Ax are tied to automation allowing for unattended night and weekend operation. The machines easily partnered with a System 3R Transformer WorkMaster – also from GF Machining Solutions – mounted on a 27ft (9m) linear rail and equipped with one 25-position 280mm x 280mm Dynafix pallet rotary carousel and one 200-position 54mm x 54mm Macro Standard rotary carousel to further boost efficiency and flexibility.

“Femtosecond laser technology is what drove our further expansion into medical micromachining beyond our beginnings in laser texturing,” Melonio says. “We can still micro machine with a nanosecond laser, but our femtosecond laser allows us to handle a wider range of today’s newer medical materials.”

Melonio also notes the femtosecond capability is beneficial for materials such as ceramics, due to the immense peak-power they generate with each pulse. Energy absorption rates will vary from one material to the next. Melonio points out the femtosecond laser’s high-peak pulse energy along with the ability to adjust pulse widths from 200 nanoseconds down to 238 femtoseconds and deliver the laser pulses in controlled grouped bursts or through modulated burst trains. This allows Providence Texture to generate beautiful results in steels, metals, and alloys, while effectively handling unique materials such as precious metals, silicon carbide, and ceramics.

According to Melonio, the femtosecond lasers also generate more precise details and intricate nanometer level patterns on titanium parts such as medical surgical screws or the spinal implants that the shop textures – surfaces not possible with nanosecond lasers alone.

Lasers allow shops such as Providence Texture to process an increased range of new and different medical part materials when conventional processes fall short. The shop’s customers constantly improve current designs with the use of new materials that are stronger, lighter, more corrosion resistant, and clean. However, this is possible only if the materials can be machined cost effectively, which is why laser use continues to surge in the medical industry.

“The ability to flip between two different laser sources with flexible pulse widths within a few milliseconds requires a very special machine,” Melonio says. “That’s what’s unique about our GF Machining Solutions LASER P 400 U. In most other systems, the machine only provides one type of laser.”

Providence Texture needs a versatile laser machine that can generate a broad range of pulse widths from 200 nanoseconds down to 238 femtoseconds. Additionally, the shop needs the capability to work in full 5-axis, which makes a system such as the LASER P 400 U highly desirable since work can vary from simple and flat part surfaces to complex and angled.

The machine’s compact, high-performance, ultra-fast femtosecond laser reduces cycle times and tooling costs, enabling quick production of precision parts. According to Melonio, a medical job shop requires flexibility and creativity for every job or program that comes in the door. They must also then use what’s learned from one project, adapting that to improve others.

“This adaptability and our laser technology have been the key to our success in medical work,” Melonio points out. “At our core, we’re still a job shop that provides laser services, and as such, our work encompasses everything from engraving and surface texturing to micromachining and part marking. To handle such a wide variety of work and to continue our strong growth in the medical sector requires having both nanosecond and femtosecond types of laser systems, and we rely on GF Machining Solutions for that advanced technology.”

GF Machining Solutions:
https://www.gfms.com

Providence Texture: 
https://providencetexture.com