Medical plastic injection molding can produce high volumes of tight-tolerance parts for medical devices and equipment. During the injection molding process, however, excess material known as flash can form on the surfaces of parts. Cryogenic deflashing can safely, cleanly, and cost-effectively remove this unwanted plastic flash without affecting critical part tolerances. There are many other benefits as well.
Nitrofreeze® Cryogenic Solutions of Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) provides cryogenic deflashing services to plastic injection molders and medical device manufacturers. Our patented process cools molded parts below the polymer’s glass transition temperature (Tg) so that the flash becomes hard, brittle, and easy to remove. The parts are then blasted with a specified cryogenic-grade polycarbonate media.
This polycarbonate media comes in different diameters to meet part-specific challenges, and it won’t damage surfaces or leave residues behind. Nitrofreeze® cryogenic deflashing is especially efficient at removing flash from cross-holes, blind holes, and other part geometries that are hard to reach with hand tools. Here are the top five reasons why medical plastic injection molding needs cryogenic deflashing.
- Part Tolerances and Surface Finish
- Consistency and Repeatability
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Compliance and Safety
- Proven Performance
The following sections explain
Part Tolerances and Surface Finish
Plastic medical parts that are injection molded need to have the proper dimensions and surface finish. Otherwise, patient safety and product performance could be at risk. Since cryogenic deflashing removes only the unwanted material, individual components remain within critical tolerances. In turn, this supports tolerances within larger assemblies.
Consistency and Repeatability
Nitrofreeze® cryogenic deflashing is a computer-controlled, machine-based process for batches of injection molded parts. That means you’ll enjoy part-to-part consistency and high-quality, repeatable results across many parts. Workers can process only one part at a time with manual deflashing. There’s also a risk that workers will remove too much or too little material using hand tools.
Cost-Effectiveness
Medical injection molds are expensive to produce, and the cost of refurbishing a mold can be considerable. Even then, a small amount of injection molding flash is expected. Cryogenic deflashing can help you to extend the life of an injection mold while avoiding the labor costs of manual deflashing. You can also improve material yields by reducing scrap from manual deflashing errors.
Compliance and Safety
Cryogenic deflashing is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the same agency that’s responsible for regulating medical devices and equipment. This safe, clean process is free from harsh chemicals and won’t leave excessive residues behind. It’s suitable for commodity plastics like polypropylene and polycarbonate but is also ideal for more expensive polymers like implantable-grade PEEK.
Proven Performance
When a medical molder needed deflashing services, Nitrofreeze saved the company over six hours of labor for every 1,000 pieces. The molder had tried buffing and trimming, but these labor-intensive techniques took upwards of 20 seconds per part. With volumes of 3,000 to 4,000 parts per release, the molder chose cryogenic deflashing instead of other alternative technologies.
Choose Nitrofreeze® Cryogenic Deflashing for Medical Plastic Injection Molding
Nitrofreeze® Cryogenic Solutions welcomes inquiries from medical injection molders and medical device manufacturers. If your part is a viable candidate for cryogenic deflashing, we can perform sampling to demonstrate our patented process. No job is too large or small, and our standard turnaround time is two days after receipt. The consultation is free of charge, so send us your part drawings, photos, or samples.
To get started, contact Nitrofreeze® at the phone number and email listed below.
(508) 459-7447 x 105 | info@nitrofreeze.com