Showcase Swiss Medtech Expo 2021

Focus on perfectly de-burred bone plates

René Gerber AG in an interview with Mr Scheuble, Group Manager Process Engineering Plate, at Medartis AG Company. As a global innovation leader for implants, Medartis drives technologies and solutions and had had a Gerber brush polishing machine for de-burring titanium blanks since 2008.

Two brush polishing machines are in use at Medartis AG
There are many coincidences in life. The collaboration between Medartis AG with its headquarters in Basel and René Gerber AG from the Bernese Seeland is also due to a pleasant coincidence.

When Medartis was looking for an economic method for rounding edges for a project in 2008, it became aware of the Gerber Company at a trade fair, In a conversation with Mr Stefan Gerber, the BP-MX came into focus as being oriented towards a solution.

The BP-MX brush polishing machine brushes away sharp edges and burrs / brushes precisely-defined radii or contours on edges with high accuracy. At the same time, the surface is polished.
After the joint definition of the test set-up and the subsequent test on the premises of René Gerber AG, the installation was modified and built according to the needs of Medartis. As Mr Scheuble emphasises, wishes were dealt with in a competent and individual ways and Medartis is very satisfied with the product and service from Gerber. The purchase of the BP-MX equipment for the double-sided controlled de-burring of titanium blanks eliminated the manual de-burring process, and since then employees could be deployed for other relevant work steps. Medartis draws the benefits from this change.
Due to its high toughness, titanium places high demand on machinability. The residue-free de-burring result was achieved in a gratifyingly short time. Burrs can be completely removed down to the root of the burr using the BP-MX. This gives Medartis a perfectly de-burred bone plate which is ready for further process steps. The desired de-burring result and process reliability is guaranteed by regular, fully automatic measurement and tracking of the bristle length.

By changing the following parameters, it is possible to create different contours, shapes and surface roughness: brush material, brush density, brush speed, table speed, working pressure, operating time and polishing agent.
As Mr Scheuble informs us, the BP-MX machine satisfies Medartis in several ways The floor space of the entire installation is so small that it can be optimally integrated into the working area and thus the LEAN measures can be implemented in a targeted manner.

The simplicity of operation and software is impressive. The responsible employee can activate another processing program or make adjustments with just a few input commands. Loading the BP-MX is at an optimum working height and can be carried out almost ideally. The integrated SPS control is user-friendly and leaves nothing to be desired. For Mr Scheuble, the high efficiency and the uniformity of the de-burring result are the outstanding features. Medartis underlined its satisfaction with the product by purchasing a second installation in 2016. Thanks to the wide range of services offered by René Gerber AG, the suitable process and machine for the high quality requirements could be found. 

Mr Scheuble, how would you describe the products /service in one sentence?
«In the end, success lies in the right process, the right partner, high product quality and satisfied employees.»