Finite element analysis can be a useful tool for assessing the clinical performance of a new product in addition to developing and evaluating its design. The benefits and limitations of using this technique for orthopaedic products are examined here.
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Swedish multinational Sandvik (Sandviken; www.smt.sandvik.com [5]) currently is building the Sandvik European Centre of Excellence (SECoE) in South Yorkshire, UK, where it will consolidate the machining and finishing of orthopaedic products for its customers throughout Europe. The new 100,000-sq-ft building is scheduled to be up and running by the end of this year.
“We currently run three sites in and around Sheffield,” says Dave Beighton, President and Managing Director, Sandvik Medical Solutions. “The machining and finishing of orthopaedic implants and instruments are actually divided up within two of those three sites. That’s not ideal,” he adds.
Machining and finishing will be transferred to the SECoE, leaving hot-metal casting and forging operations at the two existing sites. From there, the material will feed into the technical centre located six miles away. “We are keeping the industrial hot metal processes separate from the cleaner finishing operations,” explains Beighton. The centre will include manual and robotic setups, and Beighton anticipates that it will ultimately house coating and sterile packaging applications, as well.
The SECoE is modelled after a technical centre Sandvik established in Memphis, TN, USA. “The centre we are building near Sheffield will serve all of our European customers,” says Beighton. “Time to market is so critical these days, and trying to manage a product launch from a distance is quite difficult.” The European technical centre exemplifies the company’s strategy, he adds: “To be a global partner with a local presence.”
Small to medium size manufacturers stand to derive significant benefits from the SECoE, adds Beighton. “It will give these companies access to expertise and opportunities for growth that would be very capital-intensive if they were to try to develop those capabilities themselves. We have a great deal of industry experience, which we can share with our customers. That frees them up to focus on product design and development and business strategies,” says Beighton.
Copyright ©2009 Med-Tech Machining News