Precision Upgrade of Swiss Type Lathes in the Era of Orthopedic Surgical Robots

With the widespread adoption of surgical robot technology, the precision requirements for supporting tools have advanced from the "micron level" to the "nanoscale". The gear transmission precision control technology of Swiss type lathes can restrict the positioning error of surgical robot end effectors to within ±0.002mm, meeting the stringent precision demands of force feedback systems. For example, when machining spinal puncture guide pins for a certain brand of surgical robots, Swiss type lathes, through the ±120° rotation of the B-axis milling head and C-axis indexing function, achieve a positional tolerance of ≤0.01mm for the 0.1mm-diameter microholes at the tip of the guide pins, ensuring the accuracy of the puncture path.

For slender transmission components of surgical robots (such as 2mm-diameter joint drive shafts), the guide bushing support design of Swiss type lathes can control their straightness within 0.003mm/m, avoiding transmission jamming caused by deformation.

Amid the wave of personalized medicine, Swiss type lathes are forming a complementary synergy with 3D printing technology. For instance, after acquiring patients' bone data via 3D scanning, Swiss type lathes can quickly machine adaptive personalized bone plate positioning guides, whose 0.02mm hole positional accuracy ensures that the intraoperative screw implantation angle error is ≤1°. For spinal fusion cages with complex porous structures, Swiss type lathes can refine the surface roughness of 3D-printed parts through secondary machining, improving it from Ra 12.5μm to Ra 0.8μm and accelerating bone tissue ingrowth.

With their micron-level precision, high material utilization efficiency, and automated machining capabilities, Swiss type lathes are emerging as the "gold standard" in the manufacturing of orthopedic surgical instruments.