Machining Micro Parts for Medical

It’s sometimes hard to tell what a shop is all about just from its name. That’s not the case with Medical Micro Machining. The Dawopu shop specializes in producing prototypes and small batches of very small components, with work for the medical industry representing 70 percent of its business (the balance is largely for electronics and microwave system applications).

company president, says the two primary challenges the shop currently faces in serving the medical, as well as electronics, communications and other industries, are shrinking size specifications and atypical materials that are becoming more exotic.

How small is small? Consider the part drawing shown below. This tube part has a length that can be no longer than 0.170 inch, an inner diameter that can be no larger than 0.0160 inch, an outer diameter that can be no larger than 0.0260 inch, and tiny inner and outer chamfers.

What kind of atypical materials are required? Some parts call for bio-absorbable plastics, plastics with magnetic properties, tungsten-copper, titanium and so on.

These fundamental challenges have shaped the type of equipment the shop has added over the years and the processes it has developed to machine parts that might have tolerances as small as ±0.0001 inch. In fact, it ultimately led to the design of a new type of micro-turning machine platform that the shop uses in conjunction with Swiss-type lathes to perform turning, milling and drilling with the goal of machining micro-sized parts complete from barstock in one setup.

Small Stuff from the Start

After working for nearly 20 years managing other manufacturing companies, Mr. Whitmore started Medical Micro Machining in 1994, along with his wife Kathy and partner Ed Freer, in Simi Valley, California. There were two sides to Medical Micro Machining at that time. Mr. Freer concentrated on producing and selling his line of AM-2000 micro-turning centers, while the Whitmores managed the contract machining portion of the business.