We custom-made this plastic tool using our advanced CNC vertical milling machine. The medical research industry is using this vital device to recreate the human knee for osteoporosis studies. Based on a customer's three-dimensional drawing, we processed one of the halves, cast pipe, and removable cover. The fill and drain holes found in the machined halves were also machined.
After all of the tool components were made correctly, the hollow plastic halves were polished to optical clarity according to the drawing specifications, and solvent glue was used to bond each half of the parts together and attach the end cap to the cast pipe. We then manually assembled all of the components, including the gasket, inlet fill valve, vent valve, and removable top lid.
All tolerances were (+/-) 0.005 inches as specified by the customer. After the final assembly of the plastic parts, the diameter was 10 cm and 5 cm high with a wall thickness of 0.25 mm. The hollow sphere - the part used to recreate the kneecap - measured exactly 2.905 inches in diameter. This custom-made plastic unit also had watertight and airtight chambers, including an outer chamber filled with a lightly colored solution and a hollow sphere containing a radiopaque solution. It measured precisely 2.905 inches outside diameter and 2.405 inches inside diameter.
After the final product was completed, we shipped it to our customer's facility in San Francisco, California. Bay Area Plastic Fabrications' MRI calibration tool met the high-quality expectations of our customer.