Assembly - January 2009 - (Page 56) Medical Device Assembly are basically made the same way, except measurements are different,” he explains. Each product has to be matched to the patient. For instance, age and weight are extremely important factors. “If a production day or shift calls for 100 knees, chances are they’ll all be slightly different,” says Harris. “Some implants will take two minutes to make, while others may take eight minutes. There’s a huge opportunity for the industry to apply lean to the way that they schedule production.” According to Harris, most artificial joints are manually assembled from standard components. “Manufacturers typically use screws to put the parts together,” he explains. “They often make different product families classified by takt time. For instance, approximately 60 percent will be made-to-stock items, 20 percent will be semirepeatable, 10 percent will be nonrepeatable and 10 percent will be unique.” While assembly is important, machining is the most challenging part Polymers act as lubricant-like materials to allow easy movements of metallic protheses. Photo courtesy Medtronic Inc. seek FDA approval, which can be very time consuming.” Lean Times Most orthopedic devices are massproduced, but manufacturers are moving away from traditional batch processing. They’re using more one-piece flow processes that improve productivity and increase quality, while reducing cost and margin of error. Rick Harris, president of Harris Lean Systems Inc. (Murrels Inlet, SC), claims there is a tremendous opportunity to apply lean manufacturing principles in the orthopedic device industry. “Most knee joints GREAT CARTS. GREAT CART ENGINEERS. GREAT FLOW RACKS. GREAT FLOW RACK ENGINEERS. Need a cart? We have thousands of designs. Need one specially designed? We have great cart engineers who can design just the right one. Click “Structures” on our new website for great cart ideas. We have thousands of flow rack designs for light, medium or heavy-duty applications that will probably meet your needs. If not, we have a team of engineers who can design one just for you. Click “Structures” on our new website for great flow rack ideas. www.creform.com 800-839-8823 56 ASSEMBLY / January 2009 www.assemblymag.com www.creform.com 800-839-8823 http://www.creform.com http://www.creform.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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