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Medical manufacturers are under constant pressure to solve complex challenges. These often require detailed, application-focused conversations.
To meet this need, Kennametal has taken its expertise on the road in a different way. The company has created a custom-built roadshow truck that operates as a self-contained technical facility, purpose-designed for customer visits. Inside, customers can explore tooling solutions up close, discuss real machining challenges with Kennametal specialists, and engage in focused, one-to-one technical conversations. Kennametal’s mobile destination visits over 70 stops across Europe, making it easier for customers to connect with experts, gain insight, and find practical solutions. The tour fosters meaningful exchanges and deeper understanding.
A focused conversation about a high-stakes sector
Paweł Dęga, Regional Product Manager at Kennametal, leads the medical roadshow focusing on machining solutions for orthopaedic, dental, and medical implants. He highlights that the event covers components like femoral, humeral stems, heads, acetabular cups, knee parts, dental implants, abutments, healing screws, surgical tools, and medical devices, with some items on display.
Machining challenges
The material demands make a strong case for bringing expertise directly to the customer. Dęga notes that most medical implants are made of titanium alloys, cobalt-chrome alloys, and sometimes stainless steel. These are selected for biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and strength, but are difficult to machine. Cobalt-chrome’s low thermal conductivity causes heat buildup, which can cause tool wear, uneven surfaces, and inconsistent results if the process is unstable.
Dęga states that even small deviations impact implant performance. “Mirror-like finishes on sliding surfaces reduce friction, wear, and improve comfort, directly affecting patient outcomes. High surface quality in machining is crucial for these results.”
Five components, dozens of tools
Inside the truck, the displays are organised around five representative orthopaedic components, giving visitors a clear, application-led view of how complete machining strategies integrate in medical manufacturing. Alongside these core displays, additional mobile units showcase Kennametal’s latest tooling innovations, allowing customers to explore new technologies and product developments in a focused, hands-on environment.
Each component walks through a full machining sequence. Along the bone-plate example, for instance, visitors can see how high-efficiency roughing with tools such as HARVI™ IV solid carbide end mills transitions into accurate finishing using HARVI™ I TE square-end and ball-nose cutters, before moving into micro drilling and threading operations. The emphasis is on how stability, surface quality and repeatability are maintained throughout the process.
Bone-screw machining highlights the challenges of small-part precision. Using the TopSwiss™ MBS tooling platform, the display shows how positive DCGT inserts, radiused side mills and micro drilling solutions are combined to produce fine features such as lead notches and deep cannulated bores with confidence.
For more complex geometries, the acetabular cup example demonstrates how tools such as Drill Fix™ PRO can support both pilot drilling and internal profiling in titanium, backed by proven turning and grooving solutions, including Kenloc™ and Top Notch™ inserts. Completing the journey, the femoral stem brings advanced five-axis machining into focus. Here, visitors can explore how HARVI™ IV roughing tools, radiused cutters and custom-form finishing tools are used together to generate complex shapes, smooth transitions and excellent surface control.
Rather than presenting tools in isolation, the setup encourages discussion. Customers can move between component examples and innovation-focused mobile units, talk directly with Kennametal specialists, and explore how both established and newly launched solutions could be applied to their own machining challenges.
Engineering support and turnkey project delivery
For Dęga, the tooling on display is only half the offer. “Beyond cutting tools, we offer strong support through our medical engineering team, which works on real-world customer challenges. We help customers with new-project support, full process optimisation, process validation and cost-reduction projects.”
We often deliver full turnkey projects — from understanding customer needs to manufacturing follow-up, including tooling design, CAM support, pricing, and process validation.
The Kennametal medical roadshow in Europe is a customer engagement initiative that connects cutting-tool research with manufacturing engineers’ daily work.
