ready-for-assembly.
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| When
ICI ships a medical instrument frame to its customer it
is in ready-for-assembly format; including machining, surface coating
and secondary. The component, a single-piece frame and heat sink,
is a lighting enclosure for a DNA testing instrument. The enclosure
frame is investment cast in 356 aluminum and measures 11”
x 9” x 3-1/2”. The enclosure frame was originally designed as a sand casting but sidewall draft was an issue as well as the rough surface finish. The frame is now investment cast with sidewall draft eliminated, the side walls cast parallel to within 0.005" and bottom flatness cast to within 0.010". Surface finish was improved from 250 RMS typical of sand casting to 100 RMS or better. ICI also improved the Internal soundness of the component through tight process control. Internal soundness manifest itself through a blemish-free surface. ICI finishes the enclosure frame by machining all required holes, black anodizing the surface, and press fitting two brass bearing sleeves into the hinge cylinders. As a side note, the investment casting process is accurate enough to ensure the bearing sleeves are in-line to within 0.002". |
| Integra-Cast,
Inc. |