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IMS Blasts Off:
Wedge Manufacturing Produces Part for International Space Station

The next time the Space Shuttle Atlantis speeds toward the International Space Station, it will be carrying a part produced by Wedge Manufacturing, a subsidiary of IMS. Specializing in small, high-precision parts, Wedge produces components for IMS, other medical industry organizations, and customers in the aerospace industry. Engineers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham turned to Wedge to produce a part for the GLACIER cryogenic freezer, which the university is producing under a contract with NASA. With a target temperature of -95 degrees Celsius, the GLACIER freezer transports frozen laboratory samples to and from the International Space Station. Wedge, whose processes are quality assured to ISO: 13485 and ISO: 9001, was commissioned to produce a bearing holder for the freezer. "Because of the extreme temperatures, we had to use an expansive piece of material, and we needed very close tolerances," said Ken Banasiewicz, senior research engineer at UAB's Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering. Torlon, a high-strength thermal plastic, was the material chosen for the 2" x 2" part. But machining the plastic to the precise dimensions needed was a challenge - and that's when the engineers turned to Wedge.

IMS is proud of the space program involvement of Wedge, which also produces components we use every day in surgical instruments. And whether these parts are bound for the International Space Station or a hospital Operating Room, the commitment to technical excellence is the same. To learn more about Wedge, please visit www.wedgeinc.com.

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