Medical Case Study
Tecomet achieves faster cleaning of bone implants with Ultrawave’s Neon Series
Bulk cleaning of bone implants
Increased productivity
Customised Neon Ultrasonic Cleaning System
Introduction
Tecomet is a leading global source of innovative medical device solutions, including orthopaedic implants, surgical instruments, and sterilisation cases and trays. The company’s 2,800 employees provide design, development and worldwide production capabilities for these products to customers in the orthopaedic industry and others.
The company manufactures bone implants for use in surgery, which naturally demand the very highest standards of hygienic cleaning to remove the risk of infection.
Challenges
With a large order book and high volume demand for medical bone implants, Tecomet needed to ensure that its production capability was able to match the desired capacity at every step.
After manufacture, Tecomet must remove machining coolant and the polishing compound needed to ensure a perfect finish on each implant. This cleaning process must be delicate enough to ensure there is no damage to the implant, but robust enough to ensure a perfectly clean end product.
Solutions
Tecomet was already enjoying the benefits offered by Ultrawave’s IND Series ultrasonic cleaner, but the increase in production created a need for further capacity.
Ultrawave undertook a site visit at the Tecomet manufacturing facility, assessing the need for larger volume cleaning without compromising on the high quality of the finished product. Ultrawave recommended a larger Neon 110 system, offering a four-stage cleaning process to meet the high standards that Tecomet demands.
To ensure the capacity requirement was met, Ultrawave devised a bespoke tank with increased depth and specified a customised basket to accommodate the various parts, maximising the load space for the orthopaedic implants.
The Neon system utilises jetting and overflow-weir systems to help remove surface contamination, while the integral twin pump and filtration recirculates the cleaning fluid; this maximises the cleanliness of the fluid and reduces the use of water and detergent.