Medical CNC Machining: Everything You Need to Know Part 3

Factors influencing the choice of material for medical CNC machining

Here are some of the factors that determine the ideal material for machining medical parts:

Chemical resistance
Most medical equipment, such as ventilation masks and tubes, diagnostic and testing equipment, surgical equipment, etc., often requires repeated use, cleaning and sterilization. Therefore, you need to use chemical-resistant materials for these components, as they are usually cleaned with chemicals.

Stainless steel is commonly used because of its high chemical resistance to organic compounds, acids and bases. Titanium and aluminum are also highly resistant to corrosion by certain chemicals. These metals, along with PEEK and polycarbonate (PC), are excellent materials for the manufacture of medical components.

Long-term contract
Many semi-permanent or permanent implants inside or on the body are CNC-machined medical components that maintain long-term contact with the body. These devices or components include artificial heart valves, artificial joints, pacemakers, hearing aids, prostheses and so on. Biocompatibility is an essential consideration here. Similarly, materials compatible with these applications must have good strength and durability.

Stainless steel and titanium are excellent metals because of their non-toxicity and biocompatibility. They are therefore suitable for the manufacture of components that maintain long-term tissue contact without complications. Examples of compatible plastic polymers include acrylic, PE, PET and PU.

Sterilization
Radiation, steam and chemical vapor sterilization are common forms of sterilization in the medical sector. These means of sterilization often expose the surfaces of medical components to degrading agents such as radiant energy, chemicals and high temperatures. Therefore, it is advisable to choose the perfect material that can withstand these agents.

Stainless steel offers high resistance to corrosion and high temperatures, and can withstand recurrent sterilization cycles. Titanium is another popular option, with high resistance to corrosion and wear. Compatible plastics include ABS, PC, PEEK and PU.

Radiation resistance
X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and chemotherapy are the main sources of radioactive contamination in the medical sector. Medical components accumulate radiation reactions throughout their lifetime. It is therefore essential to use medical machining materials capable of withstanding high radiation exposure without degrading.

Titanium, of all the metallic materials mentioned above, offers the greatest resistance to radiation due to its high density, which prevents it from absorbing radiation. Plastic resins used by manufacturers include PEEK, PU and ABS.

Things to consider when designing CNC-machined medical parts

Here are some factors to consider when designing CNC-machined medical parts:

Use a simple design
Simplifying your design improves efficiency, reduces costs and ensures precision machining. You can achieve this by using standard features such as chamfers, fillets and radii. Likewise, consider minimizing material utilization and eliminating unnecessary functions.

Ease of maintenance
It’s a good idea to design your medical devices and components to be easy to maintain. This ensures that machined medical parts function correctly and safely. What’s more, a simple design with easy access facilitates effective and efficient maintenance of medical components.

Use visual appeal
CNC-machined parts with excellent visual appeal stand out in a crowded market. A product with a visually appealing design creates a positive impression on customers. However, you must ensure that the design meets the required specifications and purpose. Use colors and textures that enhance the physical appeal of your components.

Use bright colors
You can use bright colors for your products to improve identification and traceability. Bright colors help your products stand out among different versions of a machined part, especially those of a similar shape and size.

However, you need to take into account the specific requirements of CNC machined parts when determining the ideal color. For example, some components may require constant sterilization, which is bad for some colors due to heavy exposure to aggressive chemicals and high temperatures. Therefore, make sure that your color does not adversely affect the biocompatibility and functionality of machined medical parts.

Tips for partnering with the right manufacturer of machined medical parts

Today’s market is populated by many versions of parts, so your machined parts must meet stringent safety and performance requirements. Partnering with a reliable manufacturer is essential to ensure that your CNC-machined medical parts are of the highest quality and fit for purpose.

Here are some tips to consider when choosing the best CNC machining services:

Strict quality inspection system
It’s essential to find out how a manufacturer intends to get your products approved for the market. You need to understand the quality management systems and methods a manufacturer adopts to meet quality requirements.

Experienced professionals
One of the most important things to remember is the manufacturer’s experience and knowledge of recent technological innovations in CNC machining for medical components. An experienced manufacturing partner has a clear understanding of industry standards.

Thus, working with a team of professionals with many years’ experience in the manufacture of medical parts has immense advantages. Such a team can provide valuable design assistance and feedback that ultimately saves you costs and delivers the quality you need.

We Young CNC: your best partner for medical CNC machining
Medical devices and components have high tolerance and performance requirements. Their machining requires comprehensive design, meticulous material selection and high precision. Hence the need to partner with the best manufacturer to achieve the best results.

We Young CNC is your best choice for efficient and effective medical CNC machining services for easy approval of your medical product for sale in a market full of different products.

Our effective quality management systems enable us to produce medical devices and components that meet specific requirements. We pride ourselves on our team of experienced experts and quality inspectors with extensive knowledge of medical CNC machining requirements. Contact us today to discuss your next project!