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Industry

Medical Equipment Parts: Flatness and Hole Position, in 6061-T6

Medical equipment frames and housings are judged on whether the assembly sits square and whether a part repeats after 500 cycles. That is a flatness and hole-position problem, and it is decided by how the part is held while it is machined.

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Extruded aluminum sections of the type supplied for CT system frames and housings
Alloy
6061-T6
Flatness
Per part
Hole position
±0.01 mm
Wall
0.3 mm min.
The challenge

Three constraints on medical equipment parts

These parts are rarely about appearance. They are about the assembly closing square and staying that way.

01

Flatness over a long member

A structural rail that is not flat loads the frame unevenly. The error shows up as binding in a moving axis, far from the part that caused it.

Flatness agreed per part
02

Hole position across faces

Bearing seats and mounting holes on different faces must stay in position relative to each other, which means one datum and as few setups as the geometry allows.

±0.01 mm hole position
03

6061-T6 that stays stable

6061-T6 is stronger than 6063 but moves more when a lot of material is removed. Rough, relieve stress, then finish — otherwise the part relaxes after inspection.

Stress relief between ops
The answer

How we control a structural part

The sequence matters more than the machine. Ours is written to keep the part still.

  1. Material and temper chosen for the job

    6061-T6 where strength and machinability drive the design, 6063-T5/T6 where the part is a housing and anodized appearance matters. We will tell you which one your geometry supports.

  2. Rough, relieve, finish

    Heavy removal happens first, then the part is allowed to relax before finishing cuts. Measuring straight after a roughing cut is how a part passes inspection and fails assembly.

  3. Datum strategy agreed at DFM

    We ask which face the assembly references and machine from that face. If two faces both matter, we say what that costs in setups rather than quietly picking one.

  4. Inspection report on the critical features

    Flatness and hole position are measured and reported on the first article and on the finished lot, before anodizing where the coating would affect the reading.

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Typical parts

Parts we quote for medical equipment

Part families we quote for this industry. Client names are withheld; the process facts are ours.

  • Structural rail 6061-T6
  • Bearing housing Hole position
  • Equipment enclosure Thin wall
  • Detector bracket Flatness
  • Control panel frame Machined edges
  • Support arm section Extruded profile
Programs

Program in this industry

One published case in 6061-T6 structural work, where flatness and hole position decided the assembly.

Medical CT: 6061-T6 Structural Parts

Structural members for a CT system, machined for flatness and hole position and inspected before finishing.

6061-T6

Read the case study

Extruded Speaker Enclosure

A different sector, but the same lesson: wall and section consistency decide how the assembly behaves.

Wall uniformity

Read the case study

Spec highlights — Medical Devices

  • 6061-T6 structural parts, 6063 housings
  • Hole position and machined features to ±0.01 mm
  • Bore and OD ±0.04 mm
  • Flatness agreed per part, measured before finishing
  • Wall thickness capability ±0.02 mm, minimum 0.3 mm
  • First article and lot inspection reports with the parts
Constraints

What we do not claim

  • ISO 13485, FDA, MDR or any medical-device certification — we do not hold out a certification we have not been audited for
  • Cleanroom packaging or sterilisation
  • Biocompatibility or material traceability to implant grade
  • Finished medical devices — we make machined aluminum parts

If your supplier qualification requires specific certificates, ask before the audit. We will confirm in writing exactly what we hold, and we would rather lose an order than imply an approval we cannot produce.

FAQ

Medical equipment part questions

The questions quality and mechanical engineers ask first.

Are you certified for medical device manufacturing?

We do not claim ISO 13485, FDA or MDR certification. We machine aluminum parts to drawing and inspect them; qualification of the finished device, and any regulatory approval, sits with the device manufacturer.

Why 6061-T6 instead of 6063 for structural parts?

6061-T6 is stronger and machines more predictably than 6063, which is why it is our structural alloy. It is harder to extrude into thin sections, so for a housing where the wall is the constraint we stay with 6063.

Can you hold flatness on a long part?

We agree the flatness value per part, machine from the face your assembly references, and measure it after the part has relaxed. Send the assembly constraint and we will tell you what is realistic before you set the callout.

Send the Drawing and the Assembly Constraint

Tell us which face the assembly references and which holes must stay in position. We will confirm what the process holds and what the inspection report will cover.

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What to send

  • 2D drawing or 3D model (STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF, PDF)
  • Alloy and temper
  • Surface finish and color
  • Estimated annual quantity