Stainless steel surgical instruments

For medical device industry

THE COMPANY

GPAINNOVA’s client is a manufacturer of surgical instruments based in the EU and specializing in high-value stainless steel surgical instruments manufacturing. The company implements new designs, materials and production methods to improve the products and comply with the demanding standards required in the medical device industry.

THE PROBLEM

Within the surgical instrument manufacturing, the importance of a smooth surface is not only an aesthetic matter. A perfect surface on scissors, handles, drills, clamps, endoscopes and dental tools facilitates the cleaning process, impeding the growth of harmful pathogens. In addition, it makes the pieces resistant to corrosion, long lasting, and reliable. The former process of the customer is a multistep process of manual deburring and drag finishing with wall nut shell and polishing pastes during 4 to 6 hours. These were some prior process’ drawbacks: high costs and time-consuming procedures, inconsistency and uneven surface finishing, leading to the scrap of the pieces and premature failure, and high environmental footprint.

THE GOAL

The customer was looking for an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution to polish and deburr stainless steel surgical instruments for dentistry manufactured by milling, which had been pre-processed by grinding. Parts to be polished were expected to achieve a mirror finishing through a second grinding treatment and a high degree of roughness reduction to achieve the desired surface quality and removal of burs and milling lines. The client also wanted to avoid long lead times due to the current process time and high-scrapping rate because of inconsistency.

THE SOLUTION

After conducting thorough testing, GPAINNOVA successfully achieved the technical specifications for the surface with the shortest total processing time and cost. These specifications included tolerance levels, non-stick capabilities, biocompatibility, reduction of roughness, and improved corrosion resistance. The solution that was implemented involved manual deburring and dry electrolyte surface finishing. As a result of this approach, DLyte was able to eliminate the mechanical polishing process that previously utilized nutshell media. This process typically consumed between 4 and 6 hours, thereby extending delivery times.

Nonetheless, thanks to DLyte, the time savings were significant. The total processing time was 60 minutes, with a capacity of 96 pieces per batch, starting with an average roughness of 0.3 microns and reducing it to 0.15 microns, achieving a final roughness below 0.2 microns.

TECHNICAL BENEFITS

01. Geometry and tolerance preservation & homogeneous results
02. Best-in-class concerning surface roughness (Ra under 0.02 micrometers)
03. Stable results among different batches within the electrolyte lifespan
04. Longer lifespan for treated parts
05. Biocompatibility and non-cytotoxicity proved

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS

01. Reduced footprint
02. Time and cost reduction
03. Exposure of workers during process and maintenance
04. Handling and storage of media
05. No need for multistep processes
06. Easy waste management