Methods for small parts for Medical Instruments

[sbrats]

I'm starting work in a new field as a draftsman. Looking for an overview of how small parts and parts 2mm in size used in a mechanisms (3 to 5mm in size) are manufactured - if Titanium, are most parts EDM machined and what are the limits of detail size? If plastic is everything moulded at this size or can conventional machining (obviously at a small scale) be done by a specialized vendor.
Method of joining simular materials - if metal - laser welding? and at what scale (size limits)
What are the wall thickness limits on turnings etc
What level of tolerances can be achieved

Pivots in a moving mechanism that I was looking at seem to typically be rivets.
Can press fits be achieved at this scale?

Any comments or links would be helpful..

Thanks for reading

 

[Ceramicguy]

Start with a subscription to Micro Manufacturing magazine

http://www.micromanufacturing.com

Bruce

http://www.accuratus.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

Please Red Flag one of your multiple messages and ask that it be removed.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[hendersdc]

Metal parts of this size can be easily metal injection moulded if your quantities can justify the tooling cost.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Ditto what ceramic guy suggested. Also, there are Swiss shops that would consider what you have described as "large parts".

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.