Applications for the pharma/medical industry

ECM-processing of rollers for the production of tablets

Quality demands are rising in the pharmaceutical industry in the same way as the demands of failure-safety in aero-engine construction. In both cases, ECM-processing is far superior to conventional techniques such as turning and milling. This product example shows the fabrication of tablet rollers, whereby the customer insists on a constant tablet volume of 399 mm³ for each form. The high reproducibility of the ECM-process enables us to produce these 5.88 x 20 mm cavities to +/-0.05 mm with a surface quality of Rt-=5.0 µm. Generally, the ECM-process has proved to be highly flexible with respect to the design of tablets. Just a change of electrodes is sufficient to alter tablet shapes, add a score line or stamp a logo or a gram specification.

Fabrication of a screw-formed spiral in stainless steel prostheses

Despite the fact that this product example is dealt with differently today, it shows clearly how geometries can be created through ECM that were previously unimaginable and technically unfeasible. The illustration below shows a stainless-steel prosthesis, whereby a copper electrode was rotated and at the same time guided forward during ECM-processing. In a similar way to an inner screw thread, this created a screw-formed spiral in the workpiece. The entire process took just a few minutes on the ECM-equipment – practical proof of our in-depth competence in the area of tool design. In carrying out this process, it makes no difference whether the component is open or closed to the electrode or whether the spiral is completely enclosed.