For over 60 years, Insaco has been a precision machining and polishing fabricator of parts from all technical ceramics, sapphire, glass and quartz. We machine these materials to very precise tolerances (many times measured in millionths of an inch) for dimension, flatness, wedge and roundness or cylindricity. Our customers typically have a critical application that requires extremely tight tolerances in ultra-hard materials. We also have the capability to grind and polish spherical radius parts in a variety of hard materials, both inside and outside diameters, to optical requirements.
WHY hard materials versus metals?
Many times we are asked at Insaco if we could machine a thin metal rod, or drill a small metal plate, often requiring extremely tight tolerances and precision cuts. Unfortunately we don’t machine metal or plastic materials. We specialize in hard materials such as sapphire, ceramic, aluminum nitride, boron carbide, silicon nitride, and zirconia, to name just a few. We specialize in these materials rather than metals because we feel these hard materials have unique properties and characteristics that often REPLACE metal and do so at a more cost efficient or property enhanced benefit.
Case-in-Point: Unique medical manufacturing process solves metalized sapphire windows problem
Problem: A manufacturer of medical endoscopes needed metalized sapphire windows with extremely smooth optically polished faces to allow for hermetic sealing into a Nickel 200 tube that was brazed to the sapphire.
Solution: Insaco recommended a unique manufacturing process at Insaco which would improve the overall quality of the sapphire window while allowing for improved hermetic sealing in order to autoclave the endoscope.
Result: The manufacturing changes in the orientation of the sapphire window allowed for creating a strong hermetic seal which further enhanced the ability to autoclave the endoscope resulting in a 35% increase in overall yield on the final brazed sub-assembly.
Insaco's medical machining capabilities include:
- precision technical ceramic machining
- precision sapphire machining
- precision quartz machining
- Extremely high accuracy and tight tolerance machining
- Lights-out manufacturing
- Machine automation including large capacity envelope
- Automated centerless grinding
- High-efficiency, low-cost volume production
- Low-volume prototype machining
- 5-axis machining capability
- ITAR compliant
- High-volume robotic machining
- Video inspection and a Class 100 Cleanroom
- Extensive Quality Control protocols
- Sapphire tubes and polishing
New Equipment
When fabricating pistons or sleeves for critical medical applications from ceramic materials having clearances best measured in millionths of an inch, one of the key fabrication requirements is cylindricity. This combination of roundness and straightness is most important to assure a smooth stroke because ceramics don’t deflect and variability can cause the piston to jam during its stroke.
One tool Insaco relies upon to document cylindricity is one of our newest additions, the Talyrond 365. This instrument easily measures straightness, cylindricity, and roundness on precision ground rods up to 3” diameter and 18” length. Critical requirements in the medical field are always measured and certified at Insaco, and parts can be individually documented if necessary.
Insaco also has extensive inspection and documentation procedures so parts are always to print. With a seasoned team of engineers and machine operators we are available to discuss your application needs including alternative materials and cost drivers.