Clamason's precision metal pressings are now fighting back in all sorts of ways against plastics, providing superior solutions for many so-called 'traditional' plastics applications in the medical device sector. Accordingly, in comparison with metal pressings, plastics may suffer from shrinkage, joint line and RFI / EMI shielding problems, be degraded over time by heat, light and ultraviolet rays and hold lower dimensional tolerances. Then, unlike plastics, Clamason presswork is recyclable in 95% of cases.

The latest examples of how metals are effectively replacing plastics in medical equipment were displayed on Clamason Industries' Stand 711 at Medical Device Technology 2006, NEC, Birmingham, on February 15th - 16th.

Clamason Industries takes great care to safeguard customer confidentiality, so therefore cannot detail the growing number of medical devices incorporating its pressed metal, precision components, which go well beyond the more traditional pressed scalpel blades, pins, rods and implants.

Clamason Industries can, however, quote the capabilities and procedures which the company has in place to ensure that its engineering solutions meet the exacting standards demanded of medical device protocols.

In fact 50% of the cost of a medical component can be its validation cost.

Accordingly, 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).

The new £40,000 Simac Masic 3D realtime vision system at Clamason measures and monitors in 3D 100% of thin and intricate healthcare components fed from a high-speed press in a continuous strip and requiring measurement of key features to 50-micron tolerances.