Two projects involving controls upgrades were recently completed at a Dayton, Ohio-based, heat treating company that serves the medical supplies industry, as well as automotive, defense, firearms, and construction sectors.
Super Systems Inc. (SSi), located in Cincinnati, Ohio, announced two upgrade projects at American Heat Treating in Dayton, Ohio. Controls were upgraded on a Beavermatic integral quench furnace that included a Series 9205 with a 12.1” HMI for atmosphere and temperature control and datalogging, a Series 804 for oil quench temperature control (heating and cooling), and other ancillary items. A second project included a controls retrofit of a Lindberg 3000 SCFH endothermic generator with an SSi AutoGen control system.
“Our long-range plan was to upgrade the controls on the Beavermatic, but when the old controller failed without notice, Super Systems jumped into action and did the complete upgrade project quickly,” said Van Hatcher, Instrument Technician and project leader at American Heat Treating. “Our endothermic generator has been operating with the new SSi AutoGen controls with no issues since commissioning. We look forward to the operating cost savings that come with the automated turndown features.”
Dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and in the case of certain breeds, they are also prone to higher incidences of hereditary defects, deformities, or infirmities.
Dr. Kevin Parsons, an orthopedic veterinarian, Langford Vets
Small dogs can present particular health issues that are a challenge to correct because their size and weight offer little to no margin for error. In dachshunds and Shih Tzus, abnormal bone growth can sometimes cause their front paws to point outwards. And pugs, and other breeds with corkscrew tails, are susceptible to spinal problems caused by misshapen bones. Fortunately, if diagnosed in time, these conditions can be treated with surgery, but with such small animals, corrective surgery to drill and cut bones, stabilize vertebrae or reposition limbs is a laborious and intricate process.
Two animal specialists from Britain, Dr. Kevin Parsons, an orthopaedic vet based at the small animal hospital at Langford Vets, in Bristol, and a former colleague Tom Shaw a neurosurgeon, now at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull are pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing in veterinary science and are applying it to both scenarios. They have been exploring the world of 3D-printed anatomical guides and titanium implants, manufactured on a GE Additive Arcam EBM Q10plus in South Wales, as a means to provide animals suffering from malformation an opportunity to live longer, pain-free lives.
Integral to Langford Vets’ additive journey has been its partnership with Swansea-based CBM Wales (CBM) – a commercially focused advanced research, product development and batch manufacturing facility, established by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Dr. Ffion O’Malley, CBM Wales
Dr. Ffion O’Malley and an experienced team of additive manufacturing designers and engineers at Swansea-based CBM Wales (CBM) — a commercially focused advanced research, product development and batch manufacturing facility, established by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David — oversee production of bespoke surgical guides (either in polymer or metal) and titanium implants to match exactly to each individual patient’s anatomy to restore mechanical and/or aesthetical functions. Each implant design, follows precise specifications from the Langford Vets’ surgical team, using CT or MRI diagnostic imaging data.
Diagnosis: Topsey (pictured above), at aged one, was diagnosed by Tom Shaw with hind limb weakness caused by a severe spinal malformation. CBM Wales were briefed to produce a stabilisation implant required to work in conjunction with a surgical drilling guide.
Surgical Guide: Five drill cylinders were used to guide the pilot drill to achieve the correct trajectories. The bone bound surface of this surgical guide contoured the spinal anatomy so that it located and fit accurately onto the bone.
Implant: Ten screw holes were designed onto the implant and located in the same position as the drill cylinders to achieve the correct trajectories. The bone bound surface of this Titanium implant contoured the spinal anatomy so that it located and fit accurately onto the bone.
The Q10plus is particularly well-suited for medical implant manufacture and has been developed for easy powder handling and fast turnaround times. The EBM process takes place in a vacuum and at elevated temperatures, which results in stress-relieved implants with properties better than cast and comparable to wrought materials.
The bespoke implants are built in Titanium Ti6Al4V ELI, which is certified to the USP Class VI standard for biocompatibility and is extensively used for FDA and CE marked implants. CBM has ISO 9001:2015 certification for the provision of a design, prototyping and small batch manufacturing service and ISO 13485:2016 & EN ISO 13485:2016 certification for the design and manufacture of custom made 3D-printed surgical guides and implants.
A global leader in materials manufacturing, headquartered in Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom, has recently shortened lead time for its braze alloy service in the U.S., specifically in support of mission critical components used in aerospace, medical and industrial applications.
Morgan Advanced Materials, which manufactures specialist products, using carbon, advanced ceramics, and composites, announced that its Braze Alloys business has enhanced service for customers using its braze alloy solutions. The FTSE 250 company can provide precious and non-precious braze alloys, pre-sintered preforms (PSPs), and braze inhibitors like Stopyt, that prevent the unwanted flow of molten brazing filler metals.
Braze Alloys manufactures braze alloys in configurations that are specific to customers’ requirements. A large number of assemblies that are made using Morgan materials are designed to tight specifications, while the alloys themselves can be developed to suit requirements. Many applications of braze alloys are used in research and development projects and information and data are needed quickly for small-run orders. To facilitate this urgency from contract braze houses, Morgan has created a dedicated resource to handle these inquiries, while reducing lead times on commonly used alloys.
Adam Ebert, Business Development Manager at Morgan’s Braze Alloys Business
“One of Morgan’s strongest competencies is its superior materials research and development. This is a key reason for why our braze alloys are so popular and trusted,” said Adam Ebert, Business Development Manager at Morgan’s Braze Alloys Business. “We’re keen to continue delivering our knowledge and our braze alloys in as quick a timeframe as possible. This has seen us reduce our lead times on some of the most common braze alloy products, including our popular Nioro alloys, as well as gold-copper alloys and copper-silver alloys. We’re now aiming for a three-day turnaround on any product across the whole of the US.”
Morgan launched its Metals and Joining Center of Excellence (CoE), located in Hayward, California, in October 2017 to deliver new material science and process solutions.
A medical device design, development, and manufacturing company recently announced plans to acquire an innovative biomaterials and OEM company that develops and commercializes silicon nitride for various biomedical applications including orthopedic, dental and arthroplasty.
Amedica Corporation announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with CTL Medical, based in Dallas, Texas, medical device manufacturer with in-house manufacturing facilities that focuses on the spine implant and instrument market. The agreement will make CTL Medical the exclusive owner of Amedica’s portfolio of metal and silicon nitride spine products, with access to future silicon nitride spine technologies.
Dr. Sonny Bal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amedica
As part of the up to $10 million transaction, CTL Medical will acquire Amedica’s entire existing inventory of spine products, including US and OUS regulatory clearances and intellectual property related to such. Amedica’s products, which are presently sold under the brand names of Taurus, Preference, and Valeo will be transferred to CTL Medical, while manufacturing, R&D, and all intellectual property related to the core biomaterial technology of silicon nitride will remain with Amedica in Salt Lake City. Amedica will serve as CTL’s exclusive OEM provider of silicon nitride products.
Following the purchase, CTL Medical will change its name to CTL Amedica. Amedica will re-position under a new name that is reflective of the breadth of its technology and potential applications.
“The transaction makes strategic sense, by monetizing our commercial spine sales organization and allowing Amedica to focus on its core biomaterials and OEM business,” said Dr. Sonny Bal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amedica. “The addition of a highly-differentiated silicon nitride and metal product line to CTL Medical’s complete offering of spine surgery implants and instruments will benefit both companies, as well as our surgeon customers. Amedica’s products and scientific data have established that silicon nitride resists bacteria, promotes bone healing, and has superior clinical outcomes. CTL Medical is best positioned to profitably leverage these advantages in the retail spine market.”
CTL Medical produces a full line of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar products (hence “CTL”) at its manufacturing headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
Canadian and Russian medical science technology researchers have been collaborating on a project to develop an industrial technology for the production of metal rod stocks used for creating modern bone implants, particularly for implants to treat spinal problems such as scoliosis. They recently published the success of their work — which includes a form of heat treating.
Vadim Sheremetyev, one of the research authors and a senior research associate at NUST MISIS. (Photo supplied by NUST MISIS)
Scientists at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) MISIS (Moscow, Russia) along with colleagues from the Ecole de Technologie Superiore (Montreal, Canada), announced the development of a new combination of alloy processing that produces solid and durable implants that are fully compatible with the human body. The research article is published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
“The working material of this new generation of alloys is based on Ti-Zr-Nb (titanium-zirconium-niobium), which possesses so-called superelasticity, meaning it can restore its original shape against large and repeated deformation. Ti-Zr-Nb is also noted for its high mechanical strength and resistance to corrosion.”
“Our method of combined thermomechanical processing of alloys — in particular, radial-displacement rolling and rotary forging — allows researchers to get the highest quality blanks for biocompatible implants by controlling their structure and properties. Such processing of blanks gives them an outstanding resistance to fatigue and overall functional stability,” said Vadim Sheremetyev, one of the research authors and a senior research associate at NUST MISIS.
A medical devices design and manufacturing firm recently expanded its Electrochemical Grinding (ECG) technology, enabling it to provide more robust processing of harder materials such as spring-tempered steel and heat-treated stainless steel.
Cadence Inc, which is headquartered in Staunton, Virginia, installed its latest equipment for processing profile grinding- shavers and related products at the company’s Cranston, Rhode Island, facility. The expansion incorporates high precision, burr-free grinding with CNC control
“This latest technology allows us to produce high precision, burr-free point grinding, as well as complex geometries with a cost-effective process for our customers,” stated John Rose, Senior Project Engineer at Cadence RI. “Some of our current operations such as tube cutting, stylet notch cuts, and trocar tip forms are now burr free in one efficient process.”
The new ECG technology also allows grinding to extremely tight tolerances and very low cutting forces for thin wall parts. Furthermore, Cadence can cut almost all types of metals burr-free with this new technology.
In addition to medical devices, Cadence manufactures life science and industrial products.
For every three individuals who have had a stent implanted to keep clogged arteries open and prevent a heart attack, at least one will experience restenosis—the renewed narrowing of the artery due to plaque buildup or scarring—which can lead to additional complications.
Now, a team led by UBC electrical and computer engineering professor Kenichi Takahata has developed a type of “smart stent” that monitors even subtle changes in the flow of blood through the artery, detecting the narrowing in its earliest stages and making early diagnosis and treatment possible.
“We modified a stent to function as a miniature antenna and added a special micro-sensor that we developed to continuously track blood flow. The data can then be sent wirelessly to an external reader, providing constantly updated information on the artery’s condition,” said Takahata.
The device uses medical-grade stainless steel and looks similar to most commercial stents. Researchers say it’s the first angioplasty-ready smart stent—it can be implanted using current medical procedures without modifications.
Research collaborator Dr. York Hsiang, a UBC professor of surgery and a vascular surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, noted that monitoring for restenosis is critical in managing heart disease.
Dr. York Hsiang
“X-rays such as CT or diagnostic angiograms, which are the standard tools for diagnosis, can be impractical or inconvenient for the patient,” said Hsiang. “Putting a smart stent in place of a standard one can enable physicians to monitor their patient’s health more easily and offer treatment, if needed, in a timely manner.”
The device prototype was successfully tested in the lab and in a swine model. Takahata, who holds patents for the technology, says his team is planning to establish industry partnerships to further refine the device, put it through clinical trials and eventually commercialize it.
The research is described in the May issue of Advanced Science and featured on its front cover. Engineering researcher Xing Chen, now a research associate at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Babak Assadsangabi, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC’s faculty of applied science, also contributed to the study.
Photo credit: University of British Columbia; photo caption: The device uses medical-grade stainless steel and looks similar to most commercial stents.
Manufactured from titanium, 316L steel, cobalt chromium alloys, platinum chromium, titanium (Ti6Al4VELI) and nitinol alloys, medical stents are a critical component in treatments that require mesh scaffolding to open blocked vessels or ducts. In order to validate the thickness of the walls or strengthen the stent where modifications have taken place, manufacturers utilize laser machining, which can result in microstructural changes to the alloy. Heat treatment enters as a vital process to relieve internal stresses and improve fatigue properties.
“Nitinol stents which are generally self-expanding utilize the elastic properties of the alloy and require a shape-setting process to fix the final shape of the stent,” write Dr. E. Mogire and D. Crozet in a paper recently published by Buehler.
A medical implants manufacturer recently modernized three vacuum furnaces at its Memphis, Tennessee, facility, with process control upgrades from a provider of industrial process control and automation to heat treatment and combustion markets.
Orchid Orthopedic Solutions (Orchid Memphis) commissioned the upgraded process controls from United Process Controls (UPC), headquartered in West Chester, Ohio, for Ipsen VFS vacuum furnaces, retrofitting two furnaces with replacement controls and a total control system replacement for the third furnace. Orchid Memphis was contending with underperforming controls that were compromising furnace efficacy, productivity, and uptime. Additionally, insufficient automation made it harder to push towards a paperless approach to reporting, traceability, and diagnostics.
All systems feature Protherm 700 controllers, and soft start panels were introduced to help lower energy costs during quenching. The upgraded systems also include chart recording and recipe control, the latter of which incorporates specific programming for automatic leak test cycles and guaranteed soak for medical industry requirements – tasks that were previously monitored and recorded manually. The improvements also make it easier for Orchid Memphis to streamline its maintenance process and manage maintenance tasks. This way, leak-up rates, events, and alarms are automatically and accurately reported. Moreover, upgrading with new controls and automation ensures that Orchid Memphis meets the more complex and stringent requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical implants.
“There was no need to start from scratch,” noted Rob Freeman, UPC services engineer heading the upgrade. “The furnaces were robust, but existing controls needed re-engineering to enhance the flexibility of operations and to meet the specific needs of Orchid Memphis in a cost-effective manner. By maintaining a focus on long-term operations, furnaces were upgraded to new business demands without incurring high upfront costs associated with new assets.”
Another key aspect of the upgrade was SCADA integration leading to unified operations. In the final stage of the project, the furnace controls were connected to the Protherm 9800 automation platform, which is configured to improve workflow efficiency, optimize furnace utilization, track work orders, and view real-time performance metrics.
A must-attend event for thermprocess and industrial finishing & coatings executives, ITPS/IFCS will provide a unique platform for industry intelligence and collaboration. This two-day Summit will feature two joint general sessions with a total of ten presentations addressing topics of crucial importance to all manufacturing leadership, including:
Factories of the Future: What Does the Future Workforce Look Like? Dr. Irene Petrick, Market Innovation Director, Industrial Solutions Div./Internet of Things Group, Intel Corporation
Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things, the Fourth Manufacturing Revolution, Artificial Intelligence – these terms have quickly become standard manufacturing terminology, but exactly how do they impact your business and your workforce? Dr. Petrick will address what manufacturers can expect on the factory floor as well as changes to their workforce as these once-ideological concepts become today’s reality.
Trends in Additive Manufacturing Todd Grimm, Founder and President, T.A. Grimm & Associates, Inc.
The hottest and likely fastest growing industrial technology over the past several years, Additive Manufacturing (AM) pops up in virtually every conversation about advanced manufacturing. AM expert Todd Grimm will offer insights on trends, metal and non-metal applications, and their impact on manufacturing that will assist thermprocessing and finishing business leaders in devising a strategy to leverage, or counter, AM’s impact.
Why I'm Attending: “This event is uniquely valuable in the thermal processing and finishing industries to C-level or equivalent people. I’ve found the 2-3 days to be an excellent opportunity to keep up with the latest “mega-trends” and as a refreshing time for thinking outside the box and making exceptionally valuable industry contacts.”
Doug Glenn, Publisher and Editor Heat Treat Today
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