WAUKEGAN, Ill.--In the production of medical implant components and surgical instruments, precision and consistency are non-negotiable requirements. This is a key reason why medical OEMs are among the many high-tech manufacturers that seek the laser processing expertise of Laserage Technology Corporation. The ISO 9001:2008 registered company, located in Waukegan, Illinois, has been providing precision laser processing and custom cable assembly services to OEMs in the medical industry for more than 20 years. Laserage specializes in laser cutting, drilling, and welding processes that use state-of-the-art control systems to produce components for implantable medical devices, medical instruments, and anesthetic drug delivery systems.

"The use of lasers in any of these operations provides many benefits over traditional methods," says Laserage Vice President, Dan Capp. "The non-contact process allows greater flexibility, with the ability to operate in heat-sensitive areas and hard-to-reach places with a direct line of sight." Various flexible laser systems, he adds, offer the versatility to work with almost any material. "This translates into minimum set-up time, faster operating cycles, rapid design changes, fast prototyping, and competitive costs." According to Capp, lasers are capable of repeatable run accuracy regardless of the intricacy and complexity of the design, and the intense energy of a laser weld provides a precise and reliable bond.

Laserage (www.laserage.com) has applied laser machining to the production of precision laser-cut tubes, vascular and peripheral stents, closures, connectors, and catheter components. Stainless steel stiffeners for replacement vertebrae, as well as titanium shields for pacemakers, are also examples of the company's laser machining prowess. In the area of precision welding, Laserage has laser-welded power train components to achieve greater strength and reliability in dental drills and polishers. And in another case, the company laser-welded hardened tool steel to stainless steel to prolong the service life of orthopedic tools such as bone harvesters and bone shapers.

Applications of the company's precision laser welding services are also said to include stainless steel and titanium components for bone screws, as well as biopsy forceps, surgical probes, laparoscopic instruments, and valve cutters. Laserage also offers secondary processes, such as honing, electropolishing, micro-blasting, acid etching, passivation, shape setting, deburring, and assembly.

Laserage offers application feasibility studies and prototype development, and will work with customers to develop technical laser processing applications. The company says that it has the flexibility to "handle orders of practically any volume." Besides partnering with many of the major manufacturers in the medical industry, Laserage Technology serves the aerospace, avionics, and defense industries. The company was named a Rockwell Collins Supplier of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2007, and 2008.