Tackling Medical Manufacturing with Gang-Tool Turning Center

Medical part manufacturing continues to be a rapidly growing market due to the large population of aging baby boomers who are looking for improved quality of life. Demand is for high-precision components for orthopedic, spinal/bone fixation, dental implants, maxillofacial, micro/minimally invasive, surgical instruments, and other medical markets, most of which can be manufactured on the Hardinge QUEST SUPER-PRECISION GT27 gang-tool turning center.

Design of the Hardinge QUEST SUPER-PRECISION GT27 gang-tool turning center is for machining small diameters, complex and tight tolerance parts, and other challenging requirements. The GT27 offers a continuous machining accuracy of 0.0002" on diameter, part roundness variation of 0.000015" and part surface finish of 8µ", and has proven to be indispensable to some of the best medical manufacturing companies in the world. Bar work up to 1-1/16" (27mm), and chucked parts up to 4" in diameter (using a step chuck), can be machined on the GT27 today, with the ability to hold the same accuracy 10 years down the road.

The Hardinge GT27 is unlike all competitive gang-tool machines in that it includes the company’s patented interchangeable top plate and its quick-change collet-ready spindle. The top plate secures to the dovetailed cross slide and is interchangeable for quick and accurate tooling changes performed in under a minute. Quick interchanging of pre-tooled top plates is to within 0.0002" repeatability in order to produce a new part or family of parts. Hardinge’s patented collet-ready spindle provides maximum rigidity and gripping power because the collet seats directly in the spindle with minimum overhang from the spindle bearings. In this design, the spindle accuracy is transferred directly to the workpiece. Additionally, the HARCRETE machine base is 10% stiffer than cast iron, resulting in improved dynamic stability, one-third less vibration at the spindle, and a 30% increase in tool life. This provides significantly better part surface finishes than cast iron. Size repeatability, surface finish quality, and thermal stability are hallmarks for Hardinge lathes.

The Hardinge GT27 can be used as a stand-alone unit, a higher capacity system with a bar feed, or as a fully automated system with a robot.
 

Hardinge Inc.
Elmira, N.Y.
www.hardinge.com

Watch a demonstration of the machine at http://bit.ly/VGpum9.