Friday, September 16, 2011
3 Steps to Improving the Surface Finish of Tubing
As product designs for minimally invasive surgery become more and more complex, the finishing requirements for stainless tubing are also increasing in complexity.
Many device applications using stainless steel tubing now require improved surface finish on the ID of the tubing.
• This creates smoother inner surfaces that reduce friction for mating parts or parts that must travel in and/or out of the tubing during the surgical procedure.
There are also an increasing number of...More
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Stainless Steel Passivation
In order to better understand the options for passivating stainless steel, it is critical to first understand what the term “passivation” means.
According to ASTM A 380 – 96, the term passivation is commonly applied to several distinctly different operations or processes relating to stainless steels. Common meanings include the following:
- Passivation is the process by which a stainless steel will spontaneously form a chemically inactive surface when exposed to air or other...More
Monday, April 11, 2011
Is there a standard for sharpness?
There is no widely accepted standard for sharpness of blades or needles. There used to be a Federal Specification (#GG-H-0800) from the 1960’s, the US government used when specifying standard scalpel and blade requirements.
This specification was very primitive in nature, attempting to simply identify gross defects. Some highlights of the spec were:
- No blade shall contain a nick greater than .004” – A nick was defined as a chipped-out, broken-out, indented, or bent out...More
Thursday, January 27, 2011
5 Tips for Better Medical Needles
5 Tips for Better Medical Needles
The cornerstone and foundation of a multitude of surgical procedures, medical needles are often improperly viewed as a “commodity” rather than precision-engineered devices. However, a growing number of medical needles are taking a major role in today’s state-of-the-art surgical devices, and their function as a “delivery device” for specialized procedures is very critical.
The first step for any medical needle based project should be “DEFINE”,...More
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