Medical Fabrication

 

If you’re looking to transform metal sheets into custom medical parts, it’s important to be keen on the metal forming process you choose. Metal forming processes create components and products for designing and making almost everything, from microprocessors to heavy machinery.

Most medical tools, including scalpels and forceps, are made from metal processes. Some common processes used in the medical industry include metal stamping and roll forming.

Roll Forming 

Roll forming involves using machinery to continuously bend a strip of a sheet of metal into desired shapes. The machines have multiple stations and go through rollers before forming complex shapes. 

Roll forming is usually used to make long, continuous parts with a consistent cross-section. Here are a few medical products and equipment made through roll forming:

• Hospital carts
• Bed frames
• Medical equipment housing 

Some materials used in roll forming include:

• Aluminum: Aluminum is a lightweight, malleable, soft metal with great corrosion resistance. Exposing aluminum to air forms a thin oxide layer that protects it from wear.
• Stainless steel: This type of steel has a high percentage of chromium, making it highly corrosive and stain resistant. Stainless steel is also resistant to organic acids, weak mineral acids, oxidation, and other caustic materials.
• Brass: This copper and zinc alloy with a bright, gold-like color is very malleable and highly corrosion-resistant. 
• Copper: Known for its electrical conductivity, copper constitutes a variety of metals.

Besides the medical industry, roll forming is used in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and construction.

Metal Stamping  

Metal stamping involves using a stamping press to apply pressure on a flat metal sheet into a new shape or cuts. Some common materials used in metal stamping for medical applications include titanium and stainless steel. Medical industry experts prefer metal materials for medical equipment and products because metal can be easily sterilized compared to other metals. These metals are also corrosive resistant and very strong.

Here are some advantages of metal stamping 

• Quick turnaround times: Metal stamping is a fast process that produces parts quickly compared to other manufacturing processes like casting or forging. This is because metal stamping is a highly automated process.
• Uniformity and repeatability: Metal stamping machines are designed to produce parts with high precision and accuracy, which means that the parts produced are consistent from one batch to the next. This is important when you need parts that are identical in shape and size.
• Cost-efficient for high-volume production: Because metal stamping is an automated process that can produce parts quickly and consistently, it’s often a cost-efficient manufacturing option for high-volume production runs. Cost per part decreases as the volume of parts produced increases
• Many metal stamping techniques: Many different metal stamping techniques can produce various parts. These techniques include progressive die stamping, transfer die stamping, and deep drawing. This means that metal stamping can be used to produce parts of varying complexity, from simple brackets to complex automotive components.

The metal stamping process chosen depends on the design and functionality of the equipment you want to create. Some applications of metal stamping  in the medical industry include:

• Wireless components 
• Surgical instruments
• Medical device enclosures
• 3D imaging equipment 
• Patient care kiosks
• Inspection and measurement tools
• Single-use and reusable devices
• Temperature probes
• Device and equipment fittings

Other Manufacturing Processes 

Below are three other manufacturing processes:

Injection molding

While some medical equipment and parts are created using metals, many are also built using plastics. That’s because plastic parts are disposable and generally hygienic. Examples include syringes, lab consumables, plastic implants, surgical equipment, and more. All of them go through what is known as medical injection molding. This kind of molding works by injecting molten material into molds.

3D printing 

3D printing is a process of using a 3D printer to deposit layers upon layers of material to create an object. The Process creates a range of products, including:

• Surgical instruments 
• Prosthetics
• Medical implants 

Laser cutting

Laser cutting is a technology that etches and cuts materials into complex shapes. This technology usually creates medical equipment, such as implants and surgical instruments.