"The processed titanium alloy parts always have burrs, just like sandpaper rubbing against the skin." A quality inspector at an orthopedic equipment factory complained while holding a magnifying glass. In the field of artificial joint manufacturing, the 50×30×17mm unicompartmental tibial platform is small, but it is a key load-bearing component that determines the patient's ability to move after surgery.
Processed products
Material: Medical titanium alloy (ASTM F136 standard)
Processing features: Precision milling of complex curved surfaces
Key indicators: Surface roughness Ra≤0.4μm
Processing dilemma
The biocompatibility of titanium alloy makes it the first choice for orthopedic implants, but its processing characteristics can be called "the durian of the metal world":
• The thermal conductivity is only 7.2W/m·K, and the accumulation of cutting heat causes rapid wear of the tool
• The work hardening phenomenon is significant, and the surface hardness can reach 2 times that of the substrate
• Surface polishing relies on manual work, with an efficiency of less than 3 pieces/hour
The production report of a certain OEM factory shows that for every 100 products produced, the tool cost accounts for 27%, and 20% of the workpieces are reworked due to surface defects.
MID solutions break the deadlock
To address the problems of titanium alloy sticking and hardening, we implemented three technical improvements:
▷ Ultrasonic assisted milling system: axial amplitude of 5μm, cutting temperature reduced by 65%
▷ Customized tungsten steel milling cutter: 20° helix angle design, chip removal efficiency increased by 40%
▷ Fine milling instead of polishing: 0.03mm step distance equal height milling strategy
Effectiveness verification
In the mass production project of artificial joints, we achieved:
Surface roughness Ra0.32-0.38μm stably met the standard
Single tool life exceeded 120 pieces of processing volume
The whole process time was compressed to 15 minutes/piece
The first batch of 2,000 pieces had a yield rate of 98.2%
About MID
MID Precision focuses on the manufacture of metal precision parts. The 7,500-square-meter modern factory is equipped with advanced machining centers to provide one-stop solutions for complex parts in the aerospace, medical equipment, robotics and other industries. The company holds ISO 13485 medical device quality management system certification and has profound experience in special process areas such as special-shaped surface processing and micro-hole array molding, helping customers break through the mass production bottleneck of highly difficult design products.
