MEDICAL SECTOR PRODUCTIVITY INJECTION
Germany-based Eberle is using Arno tooling to support its machining operations
Maximum batch sizes at Eberle are in the
region of 500-off.
Eberle has also opted for the
StoreManagerPRO from Arno for its tool
management system. A footprint of only
1.5 m2 is all it takes to store and manage
tools in up to 2,160 compartments. At
present, the company uses the system for
approximately 600 to 700 tools, including
gauges. “With StoreManagerPRO, we bene t
from smooth functioning tool management,
tracing and re-stocking, and this raises the
ef ciency of our internal production
processes,” Amann highlights.
Eberle runs a number of sliding-head
lathes at its facility in Wurmberg, and this is
a common theme in the medical arena.
Nowhere is this more evident than at the
Shannon, Ireland plant of Smithstown Light
Engineering, where a total of 24 Cincom
sliding-head automatics from Citizen
Machinery (https://is.gd/silefi ) were installed
between last summer and the beginning of
2019. This major investment followed
Smithstown’s receipt of a contract from a
multinational medical rm for machining
multiple variants of two types of endoscopic
device parts from 303 stainless steel bar.
Annual quantity is currently 18 million for the
production of nine million assemblies.
Managing director Gerard King identi ed
the business opportunity in 2017 and
machined sample parts on a 20 mm bar
capacity Cincom L20 installed three years
previously to ful l another contract, which is
still running, turning a 316 stainless steel
spindle used in a medical delivery device.
Discussions progressed and, to develop
the process further, he decided to buy a 12
mm bar capacity Cincom L12, which is a
more appropriate size for producing the
endoscope parts in short cycle times. Says
King: “The rst of the L12s started arriving
in July 2018, and the last ones were on site
by January this year. All are operating 24/7.
The lead-time from the customer signing the
contract and our shipping the rst parts in
production quantities was ve months.
Citizen supported us well during this ramp-up
phase.”
Continuing the Swiss-type lathe topic,
Catalonia, Spain-based Terrats Medical has
gradually grown and developed a workshop
that can produce a wide range of workpieces
on an automatic lathe. Today, the company,
which was founded by the family
grandfather, is managed by three brothers:
Roger Terrats (sales manager and COO),
Jordi Terrats (CEO and production manager)
and Ramon Terrats (technical of ce
manager).
THE MOVE TO MEDICAL
Before the company advanced to become a
key player in the dental sector, Terrats
Medical focused on job order production and
the manufacture of connector parts. Since
these sectors are extremely cyclical, the
company turned to a project that dealt with a
new product distributed under the brand
DESS, which specialises in the production of
medical and dental parts. While seeking a
machine tool partner for its diversi cation,
the company soon opted for Tornos (https://
is.gd/pafeku).
“Our business started with Tornos Deco
machines,” states Roger Terrats. “They are
excellent machines, quite apart from the fact
that, in our sector, machine tools are not
subject to excessive wear and we could thus
resell them at a high price. Today, only a few
machines can be resold as they have been
here 20 years or more, which is the best
proof – if any such proof were needed – of
the quality of Tornos machines. So, one by
one, we’ve sold our Deco machines in order
Medical device zone at Advanced Engineering
Advanced Engineering 2019 will be the biggest edition of the
show to date. Taking place on 30-31 October at the NEC,
Birmingham, some 15,000 engineering professionals are set
to attend the 11th edition of Advanced Engineering, which will
provide companies with the opportunity to meet with OEMs and
supply chain partners from sectors spanning the engineering
industry. This year, additions to the event include the Medical
Device Engineering Zone and the revamped Enabling Innovation
area, which will join other dedicated zones such as Aerospace,
Performance Materials and Nuclear Engineering.
Supported by Medilink, GTMA, Gambica and other UK
trade bodies, the Medical Device Engineering Zone has been
created in response to the rapid growth of the industry and will
welcome manufacturers looking to showcase their innovations
in this booming area of engineering. Visitors will also have the
opportunity to visit the Medical Device Engineering Open Forum
to discover how medical technology will develop further in the
future.
38 www.machinery.co.uk @MachineryTweets October 2019
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