Precision and Micro Component Manufacturing
RepExact, LLC represents US and European manufacturers of various kinds of small/precise components suitable for the medical device and life sciences industries.
We specialize in providing high-quality solutions for your component sourcing challenges, at no cost to you.
Our principal suppliers are:
IMT Masken & Teilungen AG: Microstructures and Coatings On and Between Layers of Glass
IMT of Switzerland specializes in creating complex high-precision microstructures on and in glass and other substrates.
Markets served include microfluidics, medical optics, life and laboratory sciences, measurement, particle and nuclear physics, electronics, machine vision, etc.
As tooling requirements are minimal and modifications are easily accomodated, volume capabilities range from prototypes to high volume.
Applications include micro-channels, lab-on-chip components, electrodes, flow cells, optical and electric coatings, bonded components, reticles, graticules, optical filters, calibration plates, reference grids, encoding discs, photomasks for LCD and TFT display manufacturing, etc.
The company manufactures in 1,300 m2 (14,000 sqft.) class 100 and 1000 (ISO 14644-1 class 5 und 6) clean rooms. IMT is ISO 9001 certified.
IMT has US sales engineering resources that work in partnership with RepExact to provide local support.
Micro Waterjet LLC: Precision Water Jet Cutting Services and Equipment
Micro Waterjet LLC of Huntersville, NC employs the proprietary precision water jet cutting technology developed by its Swiss parent company to manufacture components from flat stock in a wide variety of materials.
Applications include R&D, Prototyping, Electronics, Medical Device Components (including implantables), Aerospace, etc. As opposed to common water jet technology that is mainly used for cutting large, loose-tolerance items, Micro Waterjet equipment has been specifically designed for handling smaller and fairly thin components, usually palm of hand size and below.
The work table accommodates sheets up to 600 x 1'000 mm - just under 24" x 40" - allowing fairly large high precision components to be made, or multiple small components to be manufactured with one fixturing.
The process can cut a wide variety of materials with low process forces and thermal stress, from metals to plastics and rubber. Micro Waterjet's expertise includes manufacturing medical components from materials such as Titanium, Stainless, Nitinol, Ultem®, Polycarbonate, and PEEK. There are few materials that cannot be cut by Micro Waterjet.
With minimal setup costs, the technology is suitable for both prototyping and low-volume production. Micro Waterjet's unique equipment is also offered for sale.
Tectri SA: Highest Precision Swiss-Style all-CNC Machining
Tectri SA of Switzerland machines challenging components from approximately hand size down to 1 mm (0.04") diameter, and has a world-wide customer base.
Its key strength is the ability to perform complex turning, milling and small-diameter boring/tapping burr-free to single-digit micron tolerances and final finish levels in a single operation, eliminating the need for secondary operations with their potential for inaccuracy whenever possible.
Tectri does NOT produce prototype components, which commonly involves secondary/manual "tweaking" to achieve spec. Every part is set up for production from the beginning regardless of volume. Even initial volumes are run on state-of-the-art production equipment, not separate "development" machines. This philospophy avoids manufacturability issues as volumes increase. Since Tectri guarantees to meet all objective specifications, customers can avoid the much higher per-part expense of ordering very low-volume "evaluation" samples. When Tectri quotes your component, it is highly confident of being able to make it exactly as agreed, to your full satisfaction, in whatever volume you require.
Due to the setup time/effort involved, Tectri's approach is usually most appropriate for annual volumes of around 500 pieces and above. If shorter-term order requirements are lower, Tectri is generally willing to quote a higher-volume price in exchange for a specified annual purchase commitment, which allows them to produce more efficient, longer runs and hold the balance for the customer.
Its young and dynamic management, engineering, production, and quality assurance team has earned a reputation for successfully tackling complex precision turning, milling and (gun)drilling/tapping projects in a variety challenging materials, from elastic plastics to hard metals. For example, the company supplies a variety of orthopaedic and cardiovascular implantable components to a US-headquartered multinational OEM. Optical housings and substrates, and fiber optic components, are other areas of expertise. For examples, see the images on the Implantables and Non-Implantables product pages.
Tectri's top-of-the-line, all-CNC equipment from Tornos, Miyano, Mazak, Nexturn and Bumotec consists of lathes and mills with up to 11 axes, and 5-axis vertical machining centers with up to 40 custom tools each. While Titanium, Stainless, and Aluminum are the materials most often specified, it is also experienced in, and equipped for, machining synthetics and magnesium, as well as very hard materials such as Nickel alloys, Maillechort, Stavax®, and Biodur® 108 Stainless.
Tectri is equipped to handle rod from 0.04" to 2.5" diameter, as well as blanks to 9.8" cubed, with the majority of products being approximately matchbox-sized or smaller. Assembly is also offered. Certifications include ISO 9001.
XL Precision Technologies Ltd.: Micro EDM and Laser Machining
XL Precision Technologies Ltd. manufactures small/micro sized components and assemblies using wire and sinker EDM and laser processes.
Globally active XL Precision Technologies Ltd. is located in Stockton-on-Tees, England. It specializes in micro wire and sinker EDM as well as laser processing of microtubing and multi-dimensional components (cutting, welding, and marking/etching).
Its historical roots are in manufacturing micro sized components for micro-surgery and ophthalmological device manufacturers. This expertise has led to its also serving a variety of other markets requiring small, highly precise components, including parts for other kinds of medical devices, microsurgical components, aerospace, and even Formula One race car components, including parts for the 2010/2011/2012 championship winning vehicles.
Components supplied include complex instrument tubes, microsurgical forceps and scissors, microsurgical cauterizing electrodes, specialty needles and cannulae, surgical saws and blades, small turbine vanes, endoscopy components, and many more.
XL-PT can work with a wide variety of materials, and regularly manufactures components from stainless steel, titanium, and tungsten.
The company has developed proprietary EDM automation technology that makes the process attractive not only for prototypes and small volumes, but production quantities as well. It operates 4D laser equipment that permits off-center cutting of tubing and multi-dimensional components, with a minimum kerf of 20 µm (0.8 thous/mils). Laser welding, marketing/etching and assembly are also offered. Certifications include ISO 9001 and ISO 13485.
XL Precision Technologies offers US sales engineering support in partnership with RepExact. Please contact RepExact for further information.
In addition to those of our principals, RepExact can help you source – at no cost to you - almost any kind of specialty precision and/or micro component.
We maintain contacts with literally hundreds of high-quality niche manufacturers - many either not currently represented in North America or not yet well known nation-wide in the medical and life sciences industrise - who can provide the specific component solution you are looking for.
Only a few of the other specialty services for which we have excellent contacts:
- Precision 100% dry machining of technical polymers including implantable materials
- Precision Swiss-Style turning of very small parts (rod/wire diameters down to 0.2mm / 0.008")
- Prototyping and evaluation lotsof components, instruments, and small assemblies, using various manufacturing technologies
- CNC Grindingof rasps, burs, bits, etc. for ortho and dental applications
- Additive Manufacturing(3D Printing) in plastic and metals (including titanium) with metal component lengths up to 40 cm (15.75")
- Photochemical Etching (chemical milling) of Metals
- Components made of Nitinol
- Micro injection molded and micro insert molded (synthetic over metal) components down to 0.0001 gram
- Metal and ceramic injection molding (MIM/CIM).
- Micro and other small precision parts machined from ultra-hard materials such as ceramics, carbide, and gemstones (Sapphire, Ruby)
- Diamond and CVD diamond (black diamond) bladesfor ophthalmological and other surgical applications
- Flexible drive shaftsfor power and motion transmission in medical, surgical, and aerospace applications
- Micro parts produced by electrodeposition / electroforming (suitable for low volume production in a small variety of galvanic metals, especially nickel.
- RFI shieldingof plastic enclosures by vacuum deposition