Macfab’s Contribution to Medical Innovation.
There’s a real Renaissance happening in medicine today, and Advanced CNC Machining is playing a part. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the first vaccine was rolled out in a matter of months thanks to years of research into mRNA. Prior to that point, the fastest vaccine development had been four years.
Putting Advanced CNC Machining to Work
At that same time, the government issued a call for the manufacture of ventilators to help save lives. Macfab was brought in by our client in the medical industry to help produce components for a new ventilator. They designed and rolled out the ventilator in a record-shattering six months, winning Gold at the 2020 International Design Awards.
Macfab was also brought in recently by another client. They are tackling sepsis infections. So-called “blood poisoning” can be caused by a host of different pathogens. Patients face life-threatening symptoms that advance quickly. Every hour lowers a patient’s chances of survival. With our help, they are able to develop and release a self-contained testing system that can identify over 90% of sepsis pathogens in under an hour.
We worked with cancer and genetics research client when they were developing their hematology analyzers. These units allow doctors to get complete blood counts in as little as a minute. Of course, to do something that revolutionary requires some revolutionary technology, including channels through which blood can pass only one cell at a time. These machines not only count and differentiate different types of cells but can monitor for certain types of blood disorders.
As the range of medical devices continues to grow, there is more and more need for high-precision advanced CNC manufacturing. The level of detail that these new medical techniques take advantage of requires an equally refined mechanical interface.
Advanced CNC Machining When You Need Precision
Along with advanced CNC machining, 3D printing is also being tasked with creating new devices with designs that could only be imagined only a few years ago. Some of this 3D printing takes the form of organ models surgeons use to prepare for surgery. Others are more permanent.
Macfab has found itself working with companies that bring in 3D-printed parts requiring post-printing refinement. The printed parts may require a smoother surface finish or higher detail than can be produced in the printer. We can treat the printed part much like casting and mill it to the level of precision called for by their designs. This can take the form of threading holes, shaping curves, or making other cuts that would create problems if they were produced directly in the printer. We can also etch in serial numbers. You could say this makes 3D printing the newest tool to advance CNC machining.
Our new machines are faster, more energy efficient, and more precise than all of our previous machines. One of our mills performs a tool change in 0.7 seconds. They all provide tighter tolerances than ever. Systems like our new 9-axis Swiss turning machine are effectively two mills that can work on a given part simultaneously. The speed and precision are beyond anything else on the market. Our new metrology equipment, too, allows us to verify to a ridiculous extent how accurate we are at any given point on a part. Advanced CNC Machining is the gold standard for the development of complex medical devices.
Macfab has a long history of working with the medical industry. It’s the type of business that allows us to push ourselves and our abilities to the limit. When lives are on the line, you find a new focus in your work. Not every CNC machine shop can produce the accuracy, cleanliness, and consistency that Macfab does. It’s something we take great pride in.
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