From a one-off item to mass production – METAV 2012 features special event specifically targeting medical technology manufacturers

Frankfurt am Main, 8 November 2011. – The demand for medical technology products is becoming progressively more individualised. This means that vendors are having to manufacture smaller and smaller batches. Dental indications or individual implants are even quite often one-off products. However, cost-efficient mass production of standard items with short machine times is also a challenge for the manufacturers of medical technology.

“At the METAV 2012 in Düsseldorf, under the heading of “Metal meets Medical”, we shall be showcasing solutions for precisely these challenges”, reports Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director at the METAV’s organiser VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association). The Special Show in Hall 15 is being organised by Siemens in Erlangen, with the involvement of partners from the fields of CAM software, tools, metrology and machine tools, like DMG Mori Seiki GmbH, Bielefeld, EB Turn-Key GmbH, Tuttlingen, esgemo GmbH & Co. KG, Mosbach, the CNC Arena, Cologne, E. Zoller GmbH & Co. KG, Pleidelsheim, Iscar Germany GmbH, Ettlingen, Open Mind Technologies AG, Wessling, and Renishaw GmbH, Pliezhausen.

In a virtual factory, work preparation routines will be illustrated using a team centre and NX CAM. The focus here is on holistic planning and implementation of the crucial production steps in connection with the workpiece, efficient utilisation of resources, and standardisation of the process concerned, plus its continuous improvement. There will be a first-time presentation and live demonstration of an optimised process chain for cost-efficient production of customised knee endoprostheses.

From customised joint replacements to mass production of standard workpieces, visitors to the METAV can see for themselves the added value provided by all-inclusive solutions for CNC manufacturing as exemplified by genuine applications on show in a technology arena. Medical technology products will be manufactured live there, using machine tools operating different machining technologies.

The special show will be rounded off by a complementary forum, organised by the trade magazine DeviceMed. In daily lectures and panel discussions, experts will be illuminating the intricacies of new tools, materials and machine tools for medical technology and the specific idiosyncrasies of this sector. In addition, users will be providing some empirical feedback from actual production operations.

METAV 2012 in Düsseldorf

The next METAV will be held from 28 February to 3 March 2012 in Düsseldorf. In the even years, it has firmly established itself as an important technology shop window for the entire gamut of manufacturing technology and automation in Germany for manufacturers and customers from Europe. The METAV will be showcasing the entire spectrum of manufacturing technology, focusing on machine tools, production systems, high-precision tools, automated material flows, computer technology, industrial electronics and accessories. The METAV’s visitor target group includes all major industrial sectors, particularly plant and machinery manufacturers, the automotive industry and its component suppliers, aerospace, the electrical engineering industry, the metalworking sector, medical technology and the craft sector. At the last METAV in 2010, around 700 exhibitors showcased their products, solutions and services on more than 32,000 m² of net exhibition area. They attracted approximately 45,000 trade visitors from 26 different countries.

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Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabriken (VDW)
Sylke Becker
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60325 Frankfurt
DEUTSCHLAND
Tel. +49 69 756081-33
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s.becker@vdw.de
www.vdw.de

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