It was no surprise, therefore, to see medical aesthetics specialist GC Aesthetics™ turn to KEYENCE when the time came to acquire a new digital microscope. During the course of its business activities, there are many technical requirements that need to be assessed, investigated, measured and controlled by GC Aesthetics™. One particular requirement is that of surface finish on implants to assess various metrology parameters and surface topography features, patterns, consistency and uniformity.
“GC Aesthetics™ has more than three decades of experience manufacturing silicone implants through its brands Nagor® and Eurosilicone®” explains Fraser Harvie, Product Development Manager. “We work in partnership with the medical community to continually develop high quality products and services that meet both the surgeons’ and patient’s clinical needs.”
Common techniques such as scanning electron microscopy-SEM and digital microscopy were, up until recently, outsourced by GC Aesthetics™. According to Mr. Harvie, the main issue with outsourcing such tests was in relation to the time taken to turn around the results. With so much at stake, it was entirely natural for GC Aesthetics’ procurement executives to give due consideration to as wide a range of measurement products as possible.
When asked about the buying process, Mr. Harvie said: “We had had a clear picture as to what we needed to uphold the highest standards of quality and safety. No employee had ever used a KEYENCE product before, yet we all felt the need for a system that could generate imaging of the highest resolution.”
In other words, GC Aesthetics™ was looking for a way to not only maintain its rigorous testing practices, but to also deliver faster results to surgeons and patients in a simple manner. While the search for providers was ongoing, KEYENCE representatives contacted GC Aesthetics™ and demonstrated how the digital microscope VHX-6000 Series could add value, flexibility and speed.
According to Mr. Harvie, who readily points to the KEYENCE personnel’s helpfulness and professionalism: “the rest is history”.
“We purchased and started operating a KEYENCE digital microscope VHX-6000 Series, a product known to provide superior analysis thanks to clearer observations. Having in-house capability to produce high resolution images of surface topographies along with the necessary metrology-parameter-specific data on surface profiles gives GC Aesthetics™ the ability to produce test data very quickly” says Mr. Harvie.
Not only is speed to results of vital importance. So too is the number of samples GC Aesthetics™ can test, review and compare. This now gives the company an unprecedented ability to turn around and produce high volumes of sample data on varied and multiple samples in days, and in some cases hours, compared to weeks previously.
Another key advantage of using a KEYENCE solution is the initial, and indeed ongoing, training. “It proved extremely helpful to GC Aesthetics™” said Mr. Harvie. “KEYENCE has shown a high degree of understanding as to the needs of its customer; this was instrumental in delivering a satisfactory outcome with regard to complex testing needs.”
Months on from its acquisition, the KEYENCE digital microscope VHX-6000 Series delivers high quality information and enables GC Aesthetics™ customers to make informed choices. That’s a positive outcome for everyone involved.
