Case Study: Smith & Nephew achieves optimized electropolishing and fewer defects with Minitab

Making a Smooth Operation Even Smoother

Smith & Nephew, the UK’s largest medical technology company, develops advanced joint replacement systems and needed to bring a critical electropolishing step for its Tibial Sizing Trial Guide in-house. The team had to ensure the new process would deliver a smooth, corrosion-resistant finish while keeping device dimensions within strict surgical specifications. They used Minitab Statistical Software to help design and analyze the process.

Using Minitab’s Design of Experiments (DOE) tools, Smith & Nephew tested the effects of specific gravity, voltage, cycle time, and ambient temperature, then analyzed interactions and optimized settings with contour and interaction plots. The result was a lean 20-run experiment that showed voltage and cycle time were the key drivers, while ambient temperature and specific gravity were not significant. With Minitab, the team identified optimal settings of about 7 to 9 volts and 50 to 70 seconds, minimized defects, and successfully demonstrated a dependable in-house process that met regulatory requirements.

Smith & Nephew