A new Swiss turning center added by MicroGroup machines medical parts down to 0.030 in. (0.762mm) in diameter and in length, in tolerances of ±0.0002 in. The Tornos 7 machine brings to 20 the number of Swiss turning centers in production at the company and allows machining of miniaturized parts utilized increasingly in advanced surgical instruments and medical implants, according to the company.

Unlike conventional computer aided machining (CAM) in which the entire part is exposed while being turned, Swiss turning feeds the material through the collet variably, allowing tools to machine the part immediately adjacent to the collet, reducing deflection and improving dimensional tolerances significantly.

The Tornos 7 turning center features five linear axes and two C-axes for machining components of simple to medium complexity at 20,000 rpm and can be controlled to ±2µm, allowing part tolerances of ±0.0002 in. Up to 21 interchangeable tools can be set up at one time in any combination. The counter spindle is independent of, and equally as powerful as, the main spindle, allowing complete programming flexibility.

For information contact MicroGroup at 800-255-8823, sales@microgroup.com.