Mukesh Kumar, our Global Technology Director, discusses how our unique approach to using the latest technology benefits our customers.
2019, December 9
Following the Additive Manufacturing post (Nov 11) to elaborate on the use of technology in manufacturing, validations, and quality control we need to consider one of our core services: thermal spray coatings. Our offering is unique among contract manufacturers because one business segment of Lincotek (former Unitedcoatings Group) specializes in designing and manufacturing thermal spray machines for use in the medical, aviation, and gas turbine industries. The Medical Division of Lincotek (former Unitedcoatings Group) thus has the luxury of customized equipment to address specific needs of the orthopedic device validation, process monitoring and therefore offer a process with better controls on process output.
What differentiates our offerings from others in the thermal spray arena is the patented intercooler in our thermal spray machines. This is of value to OEMs who design implants with least possible bone removal as a criterion for the finished device. Indeed, our unique technology is able to keep substrates cool during the thermal spray process and therefore results in enhanced fatigue properties of titanium alloys. Our technology is such that it allows us to objectively prove that no part crossed a specified temperature threshold. This is thanks to the experience and expertise of the Industrial Gas Turbine and Aviation groups within the Lincotek (former Unitedcoatings Group), which have been applying thermal spray technology for decades and where a large number of high performance turbine blades are thermally coated. There is huge amount of knowledge and technology sharing between these divisions of Lincotek (former Unitedcoatings Group)and it is perhaps no wonder that the Medical Division is now producing more than 1.2 million thermally-coated implants every year. Our combined knowledge gained over the past 45+ years, together with our commitment to using and developing cutting-edge technology solutions allows us to develop new thermal coatings for OEMs. On PEEK implants alone, we currently offer three different kinds of titanium coatings, and on titanium devices we have more than twenty master files held with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
While we offer traditional machine shop services, our one-stop shop solution offering is designed with two objective, the first is to take an idea from design right through to FDA approval and to commercialization, all designed to help OEMs realize revenue in the shortest time possible. The second is to reduce the time from raising the purchase order to having the part available on the shelf. Our one-stop shop concept goes beyond simplifying the supply chain logistics, however, as it offers additional value to OEMs to incorporate various technological offerings to address unmet clinical needs and better product differentiation. The Medical Division of Lincotek (former Unitedcoatings Group) has been diligently working on various research topics some which are now coming to fruition. We are offering these aforementioned technologies to OEMs in our one-stop shop model.
For more details on our technologies, please Contact Us.
