Contract medical device manufacturer Cadence announced Tuesday that it acquired Utitec, a manufacturer specializing in deep drawn medical device and commercial parts.
Deep drawing, a common process for metal sheet forming, is used for high-volume production of complex metal components, according to an overview by Materials Today: Proceedings. It can produce several parts at once and uses less material than other methods, reducing cost and waste. However, deep drawing is one of the most difficult techniques to deliver a faultless finished product.
Cadence said it plans to leverage Utitec’s expertise in the process to supply its customers with “highly engineered miniature, and ultra-miniature metal components that strongly align with [its] current service offerings.” Deep drawing will also serve as a lower-cost manufacturing option than traditional machined parts.
Along with adding deep drawing to its manufacturing capabilities, Cadence will expand cleanroom assembly capacity through the acquisition, President and CEO Rob Werge said in a statement. Connecticut-headquartered Utitec has an additional medical facility in Alajuela, Costa Rica, which Werge said will support new and transfer products for Cadence’s customers.
Cadence has worked to grow its cleanroom space, doubling capacity of the Class 7 cleanroom at its Pennsylvania site last month.
“We have chosen all materials, equipment, and building designs that duplicate the current cleanroom space,” Mark Carper, director of Operations at Cadence’s Pennsylvania facility, said in a statement on the expansion. “Construction is planned to minimize downtime of the current cleanroom by building the additional cleanroom adjacent to the existing space.”
