Medical deburring services with Nitrofreeze® cryogenic technology safely and cleanly removes burrs from the plastic and rubber parts used with today’s medical devices and equipment. Cryogenic deburring won’t affect the surface finish or geometry of machined parts and provides a reliable, cost-effective alternative to manual deburring and vibratory or tumbling methods. Because it’s an automated batch process, cryogenic deburring also provides consistent, repeatable results – even with challenging part features.
The cylindrical polycarbonate media that Nitrofreeze® uses comes in sizes from 0.015” (smallest) to 0.060” (largest) to accommodate specific deburring requirements. This non-toxic, environmentally-friendly media won’t mar or damage part surfaces and won’t leave dust or residue behind. Cryogenic deburring for medical devices and products is especially effective at removing machined burrs from blind holes, through holes, and other recessed areas. It’s the best deburring tool for plastic.
The following sections provide examples.
Medical Deburring for Implantable PEEK
Cryogenic medical deburring services can be used for implants made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), an organic polymer thermoplastic that is lightweight, compatible with diagnostic imaging, and used in knee replacements, bone screws, and spinal cages. According to some PEEK implant manufacturers, workers need 15 to 20 minutes to deburr just one part. Hand deburring can also introduce issues with quality and consistency, especially since medical device manufacturers need to meet tight tolerances.
As a semi-automatic batch process, cryogenic deburring provides a fast, efficient, and consistent alternative to manual deburring. Instead of deburring one PEEK implant every 15 to 20 minutes, multiple implants can be deburred at the same time. Cryogenic deburring also ensures the cleanliness and structural integrity of implant components. This form of medical device surface finishing also improves the quality of the small cross-holes need to accommodate implant fasteners.
Deburring Plastic Surgical Caddies and COVID-19 Ventilator Parts
Medical deburring with Nitrofreeze® cryogenic technology can also be used with plastic surgical caddies, containers for the transport and storage of surgical instruments. Because these trays need to withstand repeated cleaning and sterilization, medical grade polypropylene is often used. After machining, surgical caddies have numerous holes, slots, and other challenging geometries. By using non-abrasive polycarbonate media that’s small enough to fit inside these features, Nitrofreeze® removes burrs.
Cryogenic deburring is also used to deburr parts for ventilators, medical equipment that’s playing an important part in the fight against COVID-19. In hospital ventilators, parts called rotary valve seats have a recessed center hole and beveled edges. Cryogenic deburring removes burrs from these surfaces and is faster than hand deburring that can’t keep up with pandemic-driven demand . For a manufacturer that retooled its operations to machine these medical components, Nitrofreeze® is playing an important role.
Medical Deburring Services Near Boston, Massachusetts
Cryogenic deburring services use very low temperatures and polycarbonate media to remove burrs, raised areas or projections that can cause part misalignments, assembly issues, or other problems with medical devices and equipment. Machined parts are placed inside the chamber of a cryogenic deburring machine and then cooled to cryogenic temperatures so that the burrs become brittle. The parts are then impacted with non-abrasive polycarbonate media for quick, clean burr removal.
Do you need cryogenic deburring for medical parts such as a PEEK implants, polypropylene surgical caddies, or ventilator parts? Nitrofreeze® of Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) provides the services that you need and is conveniently located near Boston, one of the world’s most dynamic medical device clusters. Contact our experts to discuss your application requirements. If your part is a viable candidate, we can perform sampling to demonstrate our process. The consultation is free of charge.
To get started, contact Nitrofreeze® at the phone number and email listed below.
(508) 459-7447 x 109 | info@nitofreeze.com