Medical devices play an important role in the healthcare industry, and choosing the right medical sheet metal fabrication is critical to the engineers who design and manufacture these devices. As the demand for medical equipment grows, it is critical to understand how to choose the right sheet metal fabrication company to ensure quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Medical devices are precision instruments moulded using metal sheets that are punched, bent, riveted, welded, surfaced, painted and other processing procedures. There are more types of medical devices, and custom fabrication requires a large number of sheet metal fabrication equipment, all of which are primarily designed to achieve one-stop-shaping. This article will discuss how a medical device engineer should choose a sheet metal fabrication company for the medical device he designs.
In the present time, with all kinds of flu and epidemic diseases going back and forth, the demand for patient monitors, ventilators, surgical equipment, etc., has increased greatly. This has brought a small spring to the medical sheet metal processing industry. Because of medical devices’ flexible and rigid nature, many medical equipment or related products must rely on sheet metal processes for their production. Still, at the same time, the medical industry has very high requirements for sheet metal processes. The precision of the activities connected to sheet metal parts should be high; the load-bearing sheet metal parts should have an excellent load-bearing function; the surface of the sheet metal parts of the outer frame should be beautiful and flawless. To meet both their functional and appearance process requirements, sheet metal companies should do these when manufacturing the sheet metal parts needed for medical devices.
In the medical industry, metal shells of medical equipment such as ventilators, intensive care monitors, defibrillators, infusion pumps, in vitro diagnostics, etc., have higher requirements for form tolerance. The surface will also have special requirements such as high temperature and corrosion resistance, almost involving sheet metal processing such as laser cutting, bending, welding, grinding, spraying and powder coating.
If you are a medical device engineer, it is very important to understand the different sheet metal fabrication processes and their applications when developing medical products. Sheet metal fabrication is an important process in medical device production that involves using various techniques to shape the sheet metal into the desired design if the process does not meet the design requirements. It will affect the time to market for the entire project.
Laser cutting is the most common sheet metal fabrication process in the medical industry. Laser cutting is a more material-efficient and accurate process than other methods. It can also consider the complex design and shape of medical sheet metal parts, so laser cutting is considered for most of the sheet metal processing of medical equipment. In particular, this process is particularly useful when manufacturing parts that require high precision, such as surgical tools and medical implants.
Laser welding technology can meet the high demands of surface treatment of medical equipment. Welding and subsequent surface treatment are the most labour-intensive medical sheet metal processing processes. This is because medical equipment has very high requirements for surface quality. The best solution for laser welding of medical equipment is to optimize the structural design of the product and reduce the welding volume. In contrast to conventional welding processes, laser welding technology produces almost no trash or debris and does not require any adhesives during the welding process, thus allowing the entire welding of medical devices to be done in a clean room. Because of this, it can effectively reduce or even eliminate the process of surface polishing, effectively reducing processing time and labour costs.
The other is the stamping process. Stamping is a process where a metal plate is placed on a die, and then a machine applies pressure to create a specific shape or design according to the die. The stamping process is generally used when large quantities of medical device components, such as housings, lids and stents, need to be produced. Stamping is the most cost-effective and preferred process for producing parts with a high degree of consistency.
Other processes involved in medical sheet metal fabrication are bending and forming. This is also a common sheet metal fabrication process used in the medical industry. This process involves using specialized tools and machines to bend the sheet metal into the desired shape. Bending and forming are used to manufacture medical device components such as brackets, stents and frames.
In addition to the abovementioned processes, medical sheet metal fabrication involves a very wide range of sheet metal processes. The specific product requirements, material characteristics and manufacturing capabilities determine the selection of the correct process. A qualified medical device engineer can select the most appropriate sheet metal fabrication process for the medical device he is involved with to produce medical sheet metal parts that meet the strict standards and regulations of the medical industry. If you need to know more about the medical sheet metal fabrication process, contact our ANPLLO sheet metal fabrication engineers, and we will answer you.