From Production to Inspection: Achieve Quality & Efficiency for Low-Volume Medical Robot Parts Machining

Project Introduction

With the increasing application of medical robots in fields such as surgery, rehabilitation, and assisted care, the demand for precision parts is continuously growing. However, the required quantities for these components are typically small-batch production, driving the need for customized medical robot parts.

However, this field is characterized by high standards, rapid response requirements, and a strong focus on quality. Therefore, choosing a supplier capable of quick turnaround times and reliable quality control is essential for successful production.

WayKen recently supported a customer who produces low-volume precision metal parts for medical robots. Through careful communication and drawing review by our project manager, process development by the engineering team, efficient production scheduling, and strict quality control, we successfully completed the project. Now let’s take a look at how we have achieved every aspect of our customer’s low-volume production precision metal parts machining.

Part Analysis of Medical Robotics Project

This project involved 18 kinds of parts, with a required quantity of 500-700 pieces per part. Each type had specific requirements for material and surface treatment. To ensure a clear understanding of the customer’s needs, our project manager organized all files and clarified details at the outset.

As a low-volume production of medical robot parts, this project demanded high precision. Achieving high quality, precision and efficiency were what customer focus on.

To meet these requirements, it is needed experienced engineering and quality control teams to ensure standards in every aspect of production.

Production and Quality Management Process

Based on the above analysis of the project, we immediately started to develop production and quality management processes.

Engineering Review Stage

Due to the variety of parts, quantities, material specifications, and surface treatment requirements, our project manager organized the drawings and customer’s requirements into a detailed parts list. Both the drawings and the parts list were then submitted to our engineering and production teams.

This stage ensures more accurate information and minimizes errors. When received this information, our engineering and production teams promptly reviewed the materials, processes, and surface treatment requirements to ensure the feasibility of production.

Process Scheduling – Develop an Efficient Machining Plan

After the order confirmation, our engineering team interpreted the drawings and developed a machining plan that best met the medical robot project of low-volume production. During production, we translated the drawings provided by the customer into step-by-step drawings for our in-house production, which avoided misunderstandings and greatly improved production efficiency.

Quality Control Throughout the Entire Production Process

This project is a small batch of customized medical robot parts with strict quality requirements. To meet our customer’s needs, we followed the AS9102 international aerospace quality standard. Therefore, our QC team promptly developed a comprehensive Production Quality Control Plan (PCP) that included:

• Incoming Material Quality Control
• Process Control
• Finished Product Appearance Control
• Quality Control for Production and Final Shipment

We assigned each quality control task to the relevant team members and conducted multiple review meetings to ensure the plan’s effectiveness before implementation.

Incoming Material Testing

The material used for this project was AL6061-T6. To verify its authenticity and composition, we used a handheld XRF analyzer. Only after confirming the material’s quality did we proceed with production.

First Article Production

This step was crucial for verifying the accuracy of our process development. We produced a complete set of parts using our customized process and conducted a full inspection. The below picture is the inspected report mentioned in the 2D drawing. It can be seen that the dimension pointed by the arrow is out of tolerance.

Therefore, our engineering team quickly pinpointed the cause and adjusted the machine processing parameters. Only all inspection data were verified as correct, we moved forward with low-volume production.

Quality Control During Production

We integrated critical dimensions and inspection data for each production step into the process control plan. If any discrepancies were detected, we immediately analyzed the root cause and adjusted the process to maintain the highest production quality.

Outgoing Quality Control

Before production began, our QA team created outgoing quality control reports based on the part’s 2D tolerance requirements and the overall production plan. This included:

• Sampling inspection criteria
• Inspection data and tools
• Reporting format

We followed the MIL-STD-105E sampling standards to ensure product quality while controlling costs. All inspection data were organized into a clear table format, detailing the results and corresponding test tools for easy review by our customer.

Finally, the quality control plan and inspecting plan developed by our QC team were highly recognized by the customer. The project was finally carried out successfully.

To Be Continued

Different from the manufacturing of prototype parts, low-volume production of high-precision parts requires not only a professional engineering team but also a dedicated quality control team to control and guarantee production quality throughout the entire process.

WayKen is committed to continuously improving quality standards and efficiency in low-volume production, ensuring customer satisfaction and the success of every project.