Engineering | CNC Machining | Tube Bending | Fabrication | Value Added

Tube Bending

Marshall Mfg's Automated 2D and 3D Bending Of Machined Wire And Tube Expand Medical Device Capabilities For Improved Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures

As minimally invasive surgical procedures grow in number and complexity, the demand for more sophisticated surgical instruments has grown even faster. New computer numerical controlled (CNC) bending systems, implemented by Marshall with innovative manufacturing processes, are designed specifically to meet this need.

Validated and certified, the new Marshall process benefits are many: improved quality products, faster prototypes, faster production run turnaround and lower costs. Many medical devices require additional precision features often produced following the bending operations. (The sequence with which these features are added to the bent tubes can alter the bend(s) and contour(s).) These features include precision cut-off, turning and milling of special tips (trocar, bullet, barbed, pencil, etc.), cross-holes, grooves and slots -- all with very precise tolerances. These processes often include EDM (wire and plunge), flaring, swaging and/or laser machining (cutting, welding and marking).

What's important to note is that Marshall's automated bending process is designed for bending wire and tubing after the parts are cut to finished length and fully machined with the necessary part features described above.

During the design stage of a particular tube or wire medical device, it is often difficult for surgeons or OEM's to describe the bending requirements. The desired touch, feel and other sensitivities of the instrument are often difficult to imagine, articulate, and even more difficult to quantify. The design often requires certain features of the part to be oriented to other features after bending. Marshall's bending expertise and the ability to provide quick design iterations is critical to the customer getting what they want.

Prototyping And Production Quantities With Reduced Setup Time, Faster Cycle Time

Marshall's capability for forming tube diameters range from .096 to .375 inches and wire ranges from .080 to .200 inches in diameter. All aspects of our automated cell are designed for maximum flexibility while keeping production costs low. The cell moves raw pre-bent parts through the entire production cycle without operator intervention.