A pair of outdated wire-cut electric discharge machining (EDM) centres at orthopaedic implant and associated surgical instrument manufacturer MatOrtho has been replaced by a single new U6 H.E.A.T. from Makino, Japan.

The CNC wire erosion machine was installed at MatOrtho's manufacturing facility in Leatherhead towards the end of March 2023 by NCMT, sole UK sales and service agent for the machine manufacturer.

David Shand, operations director at MatOrtho said: "The new Makino wire erosion machine from NCMT will significantly increase our instrument production capacity compared with the two machines it replaces. The accuracy and speed of the machine will allow us to meet our R&D needs and support future sales. This latest significant investment by MatOrtho comes at an important time in the company’s transformation as it expands to meet the growing demand from our worldwide customer base."

The Makino was selected in preference to other makes due to the quality of both the machine build and the service received during the sales process, right through to training at NCMT's Technical Centre in Coventry. Another important aspect was the environmentally friendly operation of the U6 H.E.A.T., which has low running costs particularly in respect of reduced wire consumption. Shand added that it will help drive the company's transition towards net zero carbon footprint, especially as only one EDM machine is now drawing power.

NCMT's Jon Marshall, Makino EDM sales manager UK South said: "The Makino U6 H.E.A.T. is geared towards high-performance production which, together with the machine's inherent precision, makes it a perfect fit for MatOrtho’s requirements for both production and research.

"It has been a pleasure dealing with Paul Clancy, their production engineering manager and the whole team throughout the process and we at NCMT look forward to assisting MatOrtho with its future investments."