Close co-operation at all stages between three companies Clamason Industries, Bruderer UK and Simac Masic has provided an exemplary engineering solution for a critical small precision component which exceeds the exceptionally stringent quality requirements of an international healthcare OEM. The growing number of medical devices incorporating Clamason's precision pressings go well beyond the more traditional pressed scalpel blades, pins, rods and implants. All Clamason medical components are fully process validated using Design, Installation, Operational and Production Qualification protocols (DQ / IQ / OQ / PQ).

In addition, the Clamason team is trained in the use of URS (User Requirement Specifications), CAPA (Corrective and Preventative Actions) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) - all essential for medical industry approvals.

In this particular application, Clamason's new, state-of-the-art, £200,000 Bruderer press, model BSTA 250-75B, integrated with a decoiler and crop-off station, runs in a dedicated cell at high speeds of up to 800 strokes per minute, producing two parts per stroke.

The 25-tonne, PLC-controlled, Bruderer BSTA Series press has a bed length of 750mm and features quick-change tooling for JIT manufacture.

Plantmaker Bruderer is a world leader in stamping technology and a byword for precision, with a famous 60-year history dating back to its foundation in 1943 at Frasnacht, Switzerland, where Clamason's engineers were trained comprehensively on the new machine.

Most spare parts are held conveniently in stock at the Luton headquarters of Bruderer UK, who offer an impressive door-to-door service within 24 hours.

A £40,000 Simac Masic 'Stampede' 3D realtime vision system ensures zero-defect production of the intricate and highly toleranced healthcare components which are fed from this press in a continuous strip.

A world away from the previous UK-wide system of sample-based inspection, which was based upon periodic checks and charts of trends, the in-line inspection of 100% of the thin metal parts requires the measurement of four key features to a 50-micron tolerance.

For example, to analyse height characteristics, the system measures and monitors each component in 3D from the side.

A standard vision system can only measure in two dimensions but, by developing an innovative arrangement of a second camera, light and product strip, third-dimension features can also be checked with the required accuracy and repeatability.

In other applications for the Bruderer BSTA 250-75B, ten or more components can be stamped out per stroke at over 1000 strokes a minute and, if four or five measurements are required per part, the Simac Masic 'Stampede' inspection system has to perform up to 50,000 measurements per minute ! The company Simac Masic has been working since 1992 as an integrator with PPT Vision of Minneapolis, where their hardware and operating system are produced.