At medical technology specialists, Günter Stoffel Medizintechnik GmbH in Wurmlingen Germany, high-precision CNC machining and traditional craftsmanship form the basis of the company’s success. Blum-Novotest touch probes, laser measuring systems and probes ensure productivity by enabling the unmanned production of the tiniest components.
“Common to all Stoffel instruments is the highest precision. Whether with the tiny spoons of the biopsy tongs, whose cutting edges have to meet to the hundredth of a millimeter in order to cut cleanly, or the tweezers with the tiniest teeth at the tip – our aim is always to manufacture so precisely that the multi-part instruments can be mounted and function cleanly,” emphasizes Managing Director Dieter Stoffel. “With the exception of electropolishing, we cover all production steps in-house.” Components manufactured on state-of-the-art CNC centers are deburred, adapted, polished and assembled by hand.
Productivity plays an important role at Stoffel. In 2021, investments were made in a five-axis milling machine from DMG MORI including a laser measuring system from BLUM and automation by a Fanuc robot which inserts raw parts and removes finished parts. The new machine can thus work overnight or the whole weekend without human intervention. However, it is essential that the tools are monitored during unmanned production in order to detect tool breaks, wear or damage to tool cutting edges. This is the only way to avoid rejects through automatic corrections or, for example, the substitution of a sister tool.
On the new machine, in contrast to the previous machine, it was now important not only to detect tool breaks, but also damage to the tool cutting edges. For this purpose, the production experts use the LC50-DIGILOG laser measuring system from BLUM. This can record thousands of measured values per second. Among other things, changes in geometry at the tool cutting edge, for example due to wear, can even be detected on the tool rotating below working speed.
