Although CNC machining has been around for decades, serving many industries, the medical industry has been one of the slowest to adopt computer numerical control (CNC) technology.
As early as 1961, CNC machining has become increasingly popular in the aerospace and defense industry. Meanwhile, John Charnley (the father of hip replacement surgery) was still making his own prosthetics by manual lathe and bench tools. Thankfully, he made groundbreaking contributions to the field of medicine before no one questioned the precision and ergonomics of the artificial hips he machined at that time.
Many things have changed since then, and CNC machining is the forefront of machining technology in the medical industry. From machining medical parts to highly specialized laboratory automation components, the applications of CNC machine tools in the medical industry are virtually endless.
This article introduces the materials, processing difficulty and characteristics of CNC machining in today’s medical device parts.
Which material is best for medical applications?
Magnesium alloy: fast heat dissipation, light weight, good rigidity, certain corrosion resistance and dimensional stability, impact resistance, wear resistance, good attenuation performance, easy to recycle; in addition, it also has high thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, non-magnetic , good shielding and non-toxic characteristics.
Aluminum alloy: It has the characteristics of low density, good mechanical properties, good processing performance, non-toxic, easy recycling, electrical conductivity, heat transfer, corrosion resistance and so on.
Stainless steel: beautiful surface, diversified use possibilities; good corrosion resistance, longer durability than ordinary steel; good corrosion resistance; high strength, so it is very possible to use thin plates; it has high temperature oxidation resistance and high strength , and therefore resistant to fire.
Magnesium Alloy: Magnesium alloy is a proprietary material developed by the institute for the manufacture of complex product parts with dimensions as small as 0.025mm. .
Microfluidics: Watershed (similar to ABS) and Accula 60 (similar to PC) are transparent materials that can be used in microfluidic parts and transparent parts such as lenses and housings.
Medical Alloys: Between machined metal and die cast metal and sheet metal, there are more than 20 metal materials to choose from for medical parts, instrumentation and other applications. Metals such as Fe-Cr-Ni alloy provide temperature resistance, while various stainless steel materials provide corrosion resistance and strength.
What are the characteristics of medical device parts and the difficulty of CNC machining?
Manufacturing Medical Parts Using CNC Machining
If an enterprise wants to meet the requirements of manufacturing CNC machining parts, the CNC machining company must meet the ISO 9001 quality requirements. If the enterprise manufactures medical parts, it must meet other types of requirements and meet the standards of the International Organization for Standardization. According to the organization, companies involved in the design, production, development, distribution or service of medical parts must demonstrate the ability to provide medical devices that consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements. For this, the standard used is ISO 13485, recognized by the most important regulatory bodies. Another factor that increases the complexity of CNC machining is the high tolerance accuracy range. The materials, machining accuracy and surface finish of medical equipment components are very demanding, which requires high reliability of the machining system. Therefore, machine tools, fixtures, cutting The tools and CAM software also make extremely high demands.
Requirements for medical CNC machining
Manufacturers using CNC machining must take a number of measures in addition to complying with all standards and certifications. The basic requirements to meet medical CNC machining requirements are:
(1) Precision machining equipment with very tight tolerances
(2) 4-axis and 5-axis machining, which can process complex geometric shapes
(3) The cleanliness requirements are very high, especially in the manufacture of implants, the surface finish of various manufacturing materials from stainless steel to medical plastics is the highest
Medical implants by CNC machining process
Without a doubt, one of the most important applications of medical CNC machining is the manufacture and production of body implants.
CNC machining is ideal for patient and specific implant creation due to low response times and no tooling costs and no quality for creating custom implants. Implants are made of metals such as titanium and special plastics such as PEEK. These materials are strong and biocompatible. Crucially, they are materials that do not break down in the human body and are not subject to corrosion. In any case, some materials are difficult to machine because they accumulate heat and in most cases coolants are prohibited due to contamination issues. The most common implants created by CNC machining are hip, spine and knee implants.
The materials most commonly used to manufacture machined implants are titanium and cobalt-chromium alloys, stainless steel and polyetheretherketone (PEEK).
Manufacture of surgical instruments by CNC machining
CNC machining can be used to manufacture surgical instruments for medical professionals. Surgical scissors, biopsy tubes, cutters, forceps, clamps, and many other instruments can be made by this manufacturing process. There is no doubt that CNC machining is the appropriate manufacturing process for such instruments as it provides the necessary precision and meets the necessary safety requirements. Medical device manufacturers use CNC machining to increase precision, and because tools must be produced in small batches, sometimes even for individual patients. In addition, a perfect surface finish can be guaranteed to avoid defects. The most widely used materials for the manufacture of surgical instruments are stainless steel and titanium alloys.
CNC machining creates parts for electronic medical devices
CNC machines can be used to create parts for devices that are more complex than surgical instruments, which consist of one or two metal parts.
Some medical devices can contain many individual parts, many of which can be created by CNC machining. These parts can be very small items like switches or larger parts. All these parts must be of the highest standard so that the machines to which they belong do not suffer any subsequent failures. Since they are not implants or surgical tools, more material can be used because they do not come into direct contact with the patient. Among the medical equipment that uses CNC machined parts we can find: Ultrasound equipment, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Diagnostic equipment, Monitors…
The manufacturing process of CNC machining is vital to the medical industry due to its flawless precision, material versatility and speed. It is useful in everything from the manufacture of surgical tools to hip implants and numerous medical applications. Many specialized medical machine shops manufacture parts through CNC machining processes. This is due to the need to manufacture parts with very tight tolerances and safe and compatible materials. Furthermore, they are able to manufacture parts that meet all international requirements and standards.
Due to the desirable properties of this type of manufacturing, tight tolerances and perfect levels of precision are required, therefore CNC machining is used. Any shop with a machining machine can manufacture medical parts that meet established requirements.
Partner with RJC
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RJC can help. Our team of experts can talk to you through your part design drawings and help you choose the best process for your project. As a trusted CNC machining partner, RJC also provides high-quality CNC machining capabilities through CNC machining equipment based on routers, lathes, drills and milling machines. Contact us today to get started.
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