Applications

Safety membrane manufacturing constraints

Safety devices have vast fields of application.

They are divided into two distinct groups:

• Bursting discs 
• Snap switches

These applications entail absolute control of the following parameters:

• Repeatability of the manufacturing processes
• Consistency of thickness tolerances from one shipment to the next
• Homogeneous surface condition
• Constant mechanical properties

Over the years, ROBERT LAMINAGE has become a key player in this booming sector.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you need advice.

A historical customer had for many years been manufacturing complicated parts using simple tools. It used only traditional stamps. Manufacturing involved eight manual cutting operations to achieve the end result. The quality was there, but the cost price was uncompetitive.

So in partnership with ROBERT LAMINAGE, we completely overhauled the production tooling. This exchange of expertise optimised the manufacturing process down to the smallest detail, from raw materials procurement to reducing the waste level. The combined expertise and know-how led to an innovative, rational and high-performance solution.

Results obtained

• Optimised maintenance on production tooling
• Shorter setting times
• Productivity gains
• Improved tool reliability
• Reduced waste levels
• Finished part cost price divided by 3

In a context of shortage of solutions on the market, numerous customers performing chemical etching regularly come to us with the following constraints:

• Thin strip 0.008 mm thick
• Perfectly flat
• Thickness tolerance +/- 0.001 mm

We have created a cutting-edge process combined with the internal development of a specific production line (roller, furnace, planishing unit), in order to meet these extreme requirements.

We have now become a major player on this booming market, mainly due to the miniaturisation of electronic parts.

During machining of a workpiece, tensions will be released, causing deformation.

Many manufacturers apply retouching or backworking to improve the precision of the finished part. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost, and does not always work.

A material which has undergone work hardening deformation is subjected to internal stresses which are distributed non-homogeneously inside the material. 

The case study provides a perfect illustration of the benefits of great know-how.

• Material: Rodur / Durimphy 1.6358
• Thickness: 0.205 +/- 0.003 mm
• Width: 20.00 mm
• Workpiece cut, forged and then machined on one face.

Our customer could not keep to the flatness tolerance after machining. The material deformed and systematically ended up out of tolerances.
Thanks to a heat treatment specifically developed by ROBERT LAMINAGE, we managed to reduce the deformation and significantly improve the quality of the parts.

When the customer cuts or machines its workpiece, internal tensions will be released, causing deformation of the part.

The shape, alloy and thickness of a dial makes cutting a delicate operation. There too, internal tensions may cause deformation, making the parts unusable.

Case study: reducing waste level

• Material: CuNi12Zn24 CW403J
• Thickness: 0.80 mm +/- 0.006
• Width: 42.00 mm

If the material is cut into washers and reformed into a strip in order to perform major machining operations, there are significant deformation risks.

Thanks to a specific straightening/planishing process, we shape the material in order to compensate for the deformation that it will undergo during the cutting operation.
The waste level has been halved, enabling a substantial improvement in productivity.

 

A hearing aid manufacturer approached us to develop membranes with a vibration to forward the perfect frequency into the patient's brain, thereby improving their hearing.

An example of use of special alloys in med-tech

• Material: 1.4301 stainless steel
• Thickness: 0.10 mm +/- 0.001 mm
• Width: 20.00 mm
• Condition: Annealed

The challenge here was to guarantee an extremely fine thickness tolerance with an annealed, i.e. soft, material. We developed a special process to guarantee the metallurgical condition of the raw material on extremely thin surfaces.

For years, ROBERT LAMINAGE has specialised in cold rolling strips with ever greater precision. Guaranteeing extreme thickness tolerances on rolled strips requires great experience, as well as production tooling, itself unique.

Ultimately, innovation in the medical field is only possible with such a level of precision.