Thin-Wall PEEK CF30 Housing for a Medical Equipment OEM
Thin-wall instrument housing with precision bores
| Industry | Medical equipment OEM (Tier 2) |
|---|---|
| Part | Thin-wall instrument housing with precision bores |
| Material | PEEK CF30 (ISO 10993 grade) |
| Batch | Small-batch production |
The requirement
A medical equipment OEM needed a thin-wall instrument housing with precision bores that would hold its dimensions through cleaning and sterilisation cycles, and still pass a biocompatibility cleaning validation. The geometry left little material for clamping, and the internal bores were narrow enough that a conventional burr-removal step risked collapsing the walls.
The challenge
Thin walls deformed under clamping and drifted after machining. Liquid coolant was ruled out because of biological contamination risk, and micro burrs inside the bores had to be removed without bending the walls.
Our approach
Pre-annealed blanks and rough machining, followed by a second stress-relief anneal before finishing. Dry machining with compressed-air cooling and PCD tooling. In-process edge control plus cryogenic deburring instead of abrasive methods.
Five steps from drawing to delivery
- DFM review and material plan — We reviewed the released drawing for wall thickness, bore position and clamp access, and confirmed the PEEK CF30 grade together with pre-annealed blank supply, so residual stress was already reduced before the first cut.
- Fixturing, tooling and programming — PCD tooling for the bores, and a setup that holds the part on its stiff sections rather than on the walls, so no clamping force was carried by the thin features.
- Rough and finish machining — Roughing first, then a second stress-relief anneal before finishing. Dry machining with compressed-air cooling throughout — liquid coolant was ruled out because of the cleaning-validation requirement.
- In-house inspection — The bores are dimensionally laid out on our Zeiss SPECTRUM CMM, taken only after a 72-hour stress relaxation, with a visual edge check on every part.
- Documentation and delivery — A first-article inspection report tied to the drawing revision, EN 10204 3.1 material certificates for the batch, and parts packed in the ISO Class 7 cleanroom packaging area.