Medical Component Machining Tools & Solutions

Challenge: A medical manufacturer was seeking improved cycle times on a complex titanium humeral stem.

Solution: Standard HARVI™ III series end mill in grade KCSM15A

Results:

• Reduced cycle times by over 40%
• Improvement in tool life from 8 pieces to 24 pieces

Challenge: A medical implant producer was seeking reduced burr formation on the edge of a cobalt chrome knee component

Solution: HARVI™ III series end mill in combination with an improved machining strategy developed by Kennametal

Results:

• Achieved 80% increase in tool life
• Increased productivity
• Reduced post-machining operations
• Saved nearly $80K in annual costs

Challenge: A dental component manufacturer was seeking better tool life on stainless steel turning operations.

Solution: TopSwiss ISO Turning Insert in grade KCM25S

Results:

• Improvement in tool life from 270 pieces to 1,500 pieces
• Increased metal removal rates by nearly 60%

Challenge: A prominent medical industry manufacturer needed a solution for achieving better tool life and chip control for pinch turning long medical instruments made of stainless steels.

Solution: TopSwiss ISO Turning Insert with wiper technology

Results:

• Improvement in tool life from 50 pieces to 500 pieces
• Excellent chip control

Challenge: A medical supplier of orthopedic implants was seeking a solution for machining a punch die made of hardened die steel and requested new programming to achieve the most efficiency possible.

Solution: Kennametal’s innovative team thought outside of the box and converted the milling operation to a turning operation. Next, we created a programming and tooling package of 12 tools in carbide, ceramic and CBN: including the KYHK15B™ hard turning ceramic grade.

Results:

• Nearly $83,000 in annual savings

Challenge: A medical component manufacturer wanted to improve costs and tool life when machining a femoral broach made of stainless steels after achieving only 6 pieces per shift with their current tooling.

Solution: GOmill PRO end mill and HARVI I TE end mill

Results:

• GOmill PRO doubled output to an increase of 12 pieces
• HARVI I TE more than tripled output to an increase of 20 pieces
• Overall estimated annual savings of nearly $40,000