Accuracy and reliability are crucial to any manufacturer, but precision medical device manufacturing faces higher demands than most. Luckily, available technologies make this precision more achievable than ever before. In particular, robots guided by computer numerical control make the results significantly more precise - and more feasible.
A robotic arm integrated with computer numerical control (CNC) technology is ready to perform automated machining tasks with high precision and repeatability. These robots use computer-controlled movements to manipulate tools like end mills and drills, performing operations like milling, drilling, and cutting. They are an extension of the CNC machines, adding flexibility and reach thanks to a robotic arm.
Robots driven by CNC-intelligence appear in various aspects of precision manufacturing, several of which offer advantages for medical device production. Here’s a closer look at five robot applications worth considering for medical manufacturers.
1. CNC machining. Machining is the most straightforward use for CNC, making robot arms an obvious choice for precision medical device production. Today’s robot arms can machine with sub-50-micrometer precision, adhering to computer-aided design (CAD) layouts within a fraction of a millimeter. As a result, CNC machining bots can prevent many errors while upholding the miniaturization trend sweeping medical devices.
Just as electronic devices are becoming increasingly smaller, miniaturization is more valuable in health care. More compact equipment enables less intrusive surgeries, and patient monitoring devices can interfere less with people’s everyday activities. However, a minute gadget requires tighter machining tolerances to avoid production errors, and that is precisely what CNC robotic mills provide.
2. CNC welding. CNC-driven automation also helps medical device manufacturers join parts with greater precision. The same tolerance restrictions that raise the demand for robots in machining apply to welding, and this equipment operates almost identically to automated mills. A robotic arm follows CNC programming to follow a CAD mock-up as closely as possible. More precise welding has the added benefit of preventing heat damage to sensitive components.
Robotic welders have advantages outside of their accuracy. They can also achieve such precision without sacrificing speed, with some facilities seeing a 300% increase in throughput after welding robots are adopted. That speed will become increasingly crucial as medical device demand rises.
3. Semiconductor manufacturing. Precision medical device manufacturing requires accuracy, efficiency, and care in the semiconductors powering these products. CNC-operated robots are essential here, as chip components are too small and sensitive for humans to manually cut or assemble with reliability.
Robotic CNC mills can carve the complex geometries needed for heatsinks, semiconductor enclosures, or Faraday cages while keeping these components small. Some advanced solutions can even carve channels into the chip substrate to lay channels for the copper traces that connect electronic parts. Any slight deviation may have cascading effects on signal noise, part reliability and the device’s function, making automation essential.
4. Quality control. CNC robots also serve quality control applications. Because precision medical devices must meet consistently high standards for dimensional accuracy, product inspections must be equal to the production process with respect to accuracy and reliability. Robots are an optimal solution, as machines can make more detailed scans with fewer errors while preventing end-of-line bottlenecks.
Quality-control bots may not rely on CNC to direct their movement, but they can use the same CAD files as references. Basing inspections directly on CAD data allows optical comparators to be entirely error-free, which even the most experienced employees cannot claim to achieve.
5. 3D printing. Additive manufacturing brings many advantages to precision medical device production. Many sources use “CNC” to mean CNC machining specifically, but 3D printers are CNC-driven machines too. They also are critical to some medical devices, especially implants or prosthetics.
The low waste and high efficiency of 3D printers mean they can make some medical components far more affordable. A 3D-printed prosthetic hand can cost as little as $50 to produce, whereas conventional alternatives cost thousands of dollars.
Novel materials can help manufacturers produce implantable devices so that they avoid adverse reactions to the human body too, expanding this field.
Maximizing robots’ benefits
Across all applications, CNC robotics is ultimately just a tool. As such, it requires careful usage and planning from manufacturers to reach its full potential.
The high initial costs of CNC-powered robots remain a barrier for some organizations. However, companies can overcome this obstacle by aligning robotics adoption with relevant business objectives. The key is to implement CNC robots in one process first, starting with whichever the specific facility stands to gain the most from automation. Expansion to other workflows should only occur after the pilot project shows a positive return.
Skill shortages pose another challenge. More than 92% of manufacturers today are actively hiring machine operators, signifying a persistent gap. While automated CNC solutions somewhat mitigate this need, many robots require coding, and all need workers to implement and oversee them.
Robots with low-code and no-code control programs are one solution. Upskilling existing workers to develop the necessary expertise from within is also a promising solution. Medical manufacturers should lean into reskilling even if they do not currently face a shortage, as it will enable future automation expansions.
Medical device manufacturing’s efficiency and precision demands will only rise from here. Amid this shift, businesses must recognize the potential of CNC robots. Combining automation and CNC solutions opens the door to long-term improvements that may otherwise prove impossible to achieve.