Medical device engineers may want to consider aluminum extrusions and tubing because of its biocompatibility with the human body. It’s easily machined, can be easily formed in the annealed state, can be coated with biocompatible products, and is easily recycled. PPE has over 20 years of experience manufacturing custom and precision miniature extrusions for the medical device industry. The components we make are used by some of the most well respected medical device designs and manufactures in the world: 3M Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Smith & Nephew and Medtronic (Covidien) just to name a few.
The advantages of aluminum components are:
- Lightweight
- Aluminum extrusion geometries are almost unlimited
- Machines very well
- Wide variety of coatings & colors
- Bio-compatability
- Low tooling costs
- Easily recycled
In recent years PPE has worked on two medical device components to develop extruded tubes which could be easily bent by a surgeon during use. We worked closely with the design e
ngineers to help them determine the right combination of alloy and temper for their specific needs. In one case, 3003 was chosen due to the thin wall thickness desired. In the other, 6063 was chosen because of post extrusion machining that was required. In both cases, we anneal the aluminum to a dead soft condition. This allows the surgeon to easily bend the component as required.
We produce 3 alloys that have passed biocompatibility testing; 3003, 6061, and 6063. All 3 alloys are readily available and can be produced in a variety of tempers depending upon specific engineering requirements. All 3 alloys can be coated with either anodize or a chemical conversion coating (chem film) that are also biocompatible. The alloys and coatings are all RoHS compliant.
To learn more visit our website or contact us with a question. Feel free to, email a request for our free Medical Device Brochure, or call one of our Sales Representatives. https://profileprecisionextrusions.com/contact-us/?nav=topnav
