The CHIRON Group welcomed more than 1,200 visitors during an open house, offered new ideas to improve manufacturing practices.
At an open house in Tuttlingen, Germany, The CHIRON Group welcomed more than 1,200 visitors, offering them new ideas to improve their manufacturing practice – in the Chiron spirit of “Performance meets Precision.”
“We received much positive feedback from customers, partners and suppliers on the many new innovations and experiences at OPEN HOUSE, indicating that the CHIRON Group and the product portfolio has the right answers to current and future questions and demands,” says Carsten Liske, CEO of the CHIRON Group.
Visitors saw live demonstrations of combined friction stir welding (FSW) and machining processes; scalable manufacturing system for microtechnology; high-productivity twin-spindle machining – three new product innovations by the CHIRON Group, focus on productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.
High dynamics plus high stability plus large working chamber plus a twin-spindle machining center with a spindle distance of up to 1,200mm: The 22, 25, and 28 Series machines from the CHIRON Group set a new benchmark in terms of productivity and precision in this. As an example in practice, a DZ 25 P that has been in use for two years improved the manufacturing of automotive structural components. All in all, this turnkey solution has provided, according to the customer: "A stable and high-precision process with greatly increased output in comparison to the previous system."
“In addition to other double-spindle applications such as battery and e-motor housing manufacturing, these new series are also fully capable of massive machining applications starting with solid material,” says a Chiron spokesperson. “The extremely stable portal design forms the basis for high precision, while an efficient work area and user ergonomics enable flexible integration of a wide range of automation solutions for ideal productivity and process reliability.”
Scalable manufacturing system for microtechnology sector The CHIRON Group also demonstrated a groundbreaking manufacturing system for the microtechnology sector – a high-precision automated machining of workpieces with maximum dimensions of 50mm x 50mm x 50mm. It is based on the Micro5 from the Chiron FACTORY5 brand – a high-speed milling center with the power consumption of a coffee machine and the size of a refrigerator.
As a stand-alone solution, it is ideal for manufacturing smaller batch sizes in the medical technology sector. With to its six-pallet capacity, the Micro5 also supports production with minimal personnel.
The combination of a Micro5 with a Feed5 handling system will form an ideal plug-and-play solution once it enters series production.
“Feed5 offers increased autonomy for automated workpiece handling with a six-axis robot. Capacities for Micro5 and Feed5 projects are currently being expanded further,” the spokesperson says.
Combining FSW and machining – new innovation for sustainable mobility
One process that may not be particularly well known is Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a reliable, efficient, and sustainable manufacturing technology for creating pressure-tight and media-tight connections between two materials.
FSW is fundamentally suitable for applications involving joining aluminum or unrelated materials. The target workpieces for FSW currently include, in particular, battery trays and inverter housings as well as all electronic components that require heat dissipation alongside high requirements for leak-tightness. Friction stir welding technology also enables car manufacturers to relocate electrical modules to the wet areas of vehicles.
“The CHIRON Group boasts comprehensive expertise and practical user experience for machining these target workpieces,” the spokesman said. “By combining FSW and machining, the CHIRON Group is developing a forward-thinking innovation to provide benefits for users similar to those offered by other process combinations: Reduced space requirements, shorter cycle times and higher quality and productivity. The first projects using this combination are already underway at a technology partner company, resulting in the first turnkey machining centers such as the MILL 2000 machining center, offering combined FSW and milling technology.”
Using a common, commercially available pacifier, the researchers created a system that samples a baby’s saliva through microfluidic channels.
A wireless, bioelectronic pacifier could eliminate the need for invasive, twice-daily blood draws to monitor babies’ electrolytes in Newborn Intensive Care Units or NICUs. This smart pacifier can also provide more continuous monitoring of sodium and potassium ion levels. These electrolytes help alert caregivers if babies are dehydrated, a danger for infants, especially those born prematurely or with other health issues.
Researchers tested the smart pacifier on a selection of infants in a hospital, and the results were comparable to data gained from their normal blood draws. They detailed their findings in a proof-of-concept study published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
“We know that premature babies have a better chance of survival if they get a high quality of care in the first month of birth,” says Jong-Hoon Kim, associate professor at the Washington State University School of Engineering and Computer Science and a co-corresponding author on the study. “Normally, in a hospital environment, they draw blood from the baby twice a day, so they just get two data points. This device is a non-invasive way to provide real-time monitoring of the electrolyte concentration of babies.”
The blood-draw method can be potentially painful for the infant, and it leaves big gaps in information since they are usually done once in the morning and once in the evening, Kim points out. Other methods have been developed to test an infants’ saliva for these electrolytes, but they involve bulky, rigid devices that require a separate sample collection.
Using a common, commercially available pacifier, the researchers created a system that samples a baby’s saliva through microfluidic channels. Whenever the baby has the pacifier in their mouth, saliva is naturally attracted to these channels, so the device doesn’t require any kind of pumping system.
The channels have small sensors inside that measure the sodium and potassium ion concentrations in the saliva. Then this data is relayed wirelessly using Bluetooth to the caregiver.
For the next step of development, the research team plans to make the components more affordable and recyclable. Then, they’ll work to set up a larger test of the smart pacifier to establish its efficacy.
Kim says development of this device is part of a broader effort to help make Newborn Intensive Care Units or (NICU) treatment less disruptive for their tiny patients.
“You often see NICU pictures where babies are hooked up to a bunch of wires to check their health conditions such as their heart rate, the respiratory rate, body temperature, and blood pressure,” Kim says. “We want to get rid of those wires.”
Along with Kim, co-authors on this study include researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, Pukyong National University and Yonsei University College of Medicine in South Korea as well as WSU.
Find out more about intelligent connectivity between machines and technology, enabling manufacturers to make better, faster decisions, optimize production, and save time and money.
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Bill Currence, president & managing partner, Cornerstone Consulting Organization LLC, is an Army veteran with more than 25 years of leadership experience in executive, sales, manufacturing, financial, supply-chain and engineering roles across several industries spanning five continents. A financial and business development executive, Currence led operations ranging from small single-plant sites to multi-national divisions, holding key roles at Visteon, the Carlisle Group, and Lear Corporation before founding CCO in 2015.
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Orchid to drive scalable metal 3D printing innovation in large joint orthopedic implants.
GE Additive’s AddWorks and Orchid Orthopedic Solutions (Orchid) – a global leader in the manufacture of orthopedic implants and instruments – have signed a definitive agreement to continue driving the adoption of additive manufacturing to their suite of technologies through the development of electron beam melting (EBM) solutions in the medical implants sector.
Orchid will make a significant investment to enable scalability and full production support for its customers by purchasing GE Additive’s AddWorks EBM Spectra L systems, service agreements, AP&C metal powders, and AddWorks consultancy services. Installation of the first machines will commence in 2022. Following machine installation and validation, Orchid expects to be ready for production in 2024 to meet its customers’ requirements.
GE Additive’s AddWorks and Orchid are focused on joint co-marketing activities aimed at driving further awareness of EBM technology in 3D metal printed large joint orthopedic implants.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with GE Additive’s AddWorks to bring additive manufacturing capabilities to our customers,” says Nate Folkert, CEO, Orchid. “GE Additive’s AddWorks has an excellent reputation and is a market leader in the additive space. Together with our extensive knowledge of large joint orthopedic manufacturing, we will be able to serve customers like never before. They will have the assurance that we are taking an extra level of care by partnering with GE Additive’s AddWorks. I look forward to seeing Orchid drive continued additive manufacturing innovation as a result of this agreement,” he adds.
“I am honored that Orchid has put their confidence and trust in GE’s additive expertise, at such an important juncture in their metal AM journey. I look forward to our teams building a long-term relationship over the coming years,” says Riccardo Procacci, president & CEO, GE Additive.
“I have personal experience overseeing the deployment of a large fleet of industrialized EBM machines for precise scalable AM production at GE Aviation’s Avio Aero business, so I look forward to getting to know the Orchid team and sharing some of my insights. I also continue to be amazed at how our existing medical customers and orthopedic community are using metal additive to innovate and drive better and often personalized outcomes for patients,” he added.
Manufacturing larger parts competitively Once installed and operational, Orchid’s fleet of Spectra L machines will allow it to manufacture large orthopedic implants, such as complete knee components and acetabular cups and more competitively. As devices increase in complexity, this new EBM additive manufacturing capability with scalable precision allows cost-effective manufacturing to complement conventional methods.
The Arcam EBM Spectra L allows for the mass production of parts by providing the ability to tightly stack parts without compromising on quality. The improved melt process results in consistent material properties for thin and bulky geometries. Some of the key features: