PRECISION NEWS

Norman Noble Inc. (Highland Heights, OH), a medical device contract manufacturer, will undergo a major expansion of its orthopedic implant manufacturing operations. The most significant step is the addition of eight five-axis contour milling machines. They will make the firm one of the largest providers of single-operation machining to the orthopedic implant market. Most machining operations for orthopedic implants require multiple steps. The new machines will be able to perform everything in a single step. The firm will also increase capacity in its Swiss turning and milling department, and add equipment to assist in quality inspection. The company had already begun a $1.7 million expansion of its mass finishing operation, which is also used in orthopedic implant manufacturing. It says it is taking these steps because orthopedic implants are one of the fastest-growing segments in medical device manufacturing.