Vuichard focuses on the infinitely small
Micro-scale manufacturing and unconventional materials are the speciality of this SME based in Haute-Savoie, which possesses expertise that is unique in France.
At Vuichard SAS, in Dingy-en-Vuache, we love nothing more than working under a microscope. We use both a traditional optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope to inspect holes just one micron in diameter.“We must be the best-equipped company in France for this!”, smiles Philippe Vuichard.
The director, who took over the electrical discharge machining business founded by his father, Michel, 27 years ago, has, over the years, steered the company towards micro-machining, where there is less competition. Here, the nine employees know how to machine parts the size of a hair, barely visible to the naked eye. In micro-drilling, holes can be as small as one micron – the size of a bacterium. “We are the only ones to offer this in both France and Switzerland”, explains this engineer with a passion for technology.
Tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac in the countryside, the SME boasts an extensive fleet of machines, the size of which is inversely proportional to that of the parts sent in by customers for detailed finishing. Five processes are used: micro-milling, micro-drilling, die-sinking EDM, wire EDM and micro-laser cutting. Its clients operate in the fields of watchmaking, medical technology, aerospace, defence, precision engineering, research and electronics… The aerospace and defence sectors account for 40 per cent of its turnover of one million euros (excluding purchases of
“Our expertise in die-sinking EDM remains unrivalled in France,” insists the director. “We are the only company in France capable of drilling holes one micron in size – the size of a bacterium – invisible to the naked eye, invisible under a magnifying glass and invisible under a microscope with a magnification of less than 500 times.”
ENHANCING LASER MICRO-CUTTING
The company is particularly renowned for its contract micro-laser cutting services. “We use a process that is unique in France, which produces a vertical cut that is burr-free and causes no heat build-up,” explains Philippe Vuichard. Two specialised machines already enabled the company to access niche markets in research and microelectronics. A third is currently being installed. An investment of 250,000 C (20 per cent of which is a regional grant) to “achieve even greater performance in cutting unusual materials”.
CarVuichard SAS has built a reputation in micro-machining and the machining of tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium, osmium, ruthenium, iridium, hafnium, Inconel, Hastelloy, chromium-cobalt, titanium, nitinol, tantalum, silicon carbide, titanium nitride, silicon and ceramics… A level of expertise whose uniqueness rivals that of the metals themselves. • “Our laser business is growing and we still have potential,”, he concludes.
A UNIQUE EXPERTISE
Winner of a ‘Micron d’Or’ at the 2018 Micronora trade fair, Vuichard SAS produces only small batches (up to 1,000 pieces) or one-off items, such as this cochlear implant electrode.
It has around a hundred clients a year, ranging from one-person businesses to multinationals, and is one of the few specialists to use 20-micron wire in wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) and to produce components weighing less than 0.001 grammes. L
Source: article taken from ECO Savoie Mont Blanc, 4 September 2026, by Sylvie Bollard
