Supercritical CO2 milling of medical plastics on a Mikron MILL S 400 U

The Institute of Precision Machining (KSF), located in Tuttlingen, Germany recently published the first results of their tests of supercritical CO2 cooling (sc-CO2) on milling UHMWPE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene). This difficult to machine material is used in knee and hip implants as the primary bearing surface. The tests were done using a Mikron MILL S 400 U® 5 axis milling machine equipped with a StepTec 42k spindle, a Fusion Coolant Systems Pure-Cut+® sc-CO2 delivery system, and different milling tools. The results point towards a significant reduction in burrs, improved work-piece accuracies, and better surface quality. This technology may pave the way for a much more efficient manufacturing process. Click on the link to download their report.