The Importance of Stainless Steel in the Medical Industry
Given the crucial nature of the medical and healthcare industry, it is only proper that the tools and devices commonly found in the operating room or those necessarily chosen to be surgically implanted in a patient’s body must be made from the highest caliber of material.
This is why stainless steel is predominantly useful in the medical and healthcare industry and why it is the primary material chosen to undergo centerless grinding processes or operations to acquire the right shape and tolerances of the necessary tools, instruments, and storage devices.
Understanding Surgical Stainless Steel
However, the question remains unanswered as to the reason why stainless steel is the primary choice of material in the creation of instruments, tools, and devices in the medical industry. In today’s post, we’re taking an in-depth check and read-through about surgical grade steel and its common steel variations: 316L and 316 stainless steel, as well as other factors that influence its wide usage in the medical industry.
Understanding Surgical Grade Steel: 316 Surgical Stainless Steel
What is Surgical Stainless Steel?
Stainless steels are iron-based alloys that mainly contain amounts of chromium and carbon but may also contain various metals like nickel, titanium, and copper.
The Versatility and Features of Stainless Steel
Out of the other major types of steel, stainless steel is one of the most well-known steel materials due to its robustness when resisting corrosion, especially in environments prone to high concentrations of acids and other chemical solutions. Its ability to robustly resist corrosion is mainly due to its chromium content, and the higher it is, the better its resistance.
Versatility and Corrosion Resistance
However, its strong capability to resist corrosion is not the only thing that makes it popular. It also can withstand extreme temperatures and is versatile in industries that operate in harsh temperature environments.
Applications in Medical Industry: Shiny and Easy-to-Clean Surface
Furthermore, this type of steel has a shiny and easy-to-clean surface, making it a perfect material for tubing and storage, handy and appropriate in the medical industry.
With such stellar features, it is no wonder that stainless steel is mainly useful and made to undergo centerless grinding and other machining operations to create tools, instruments, and storage devices in the medical and healthcare industry.
However, one should be aware of the fact that stainless steel has a lot of variations, and those particularly preferred in the medical industry are the Austenitic stainless steel, 316L, and 316 Stainless Steel grade, and the Martensitic stainless steel, 440, and 420 Stainless Steel grades.
Understanding 316 Surgical Stainless Steel
What Is a 316 Surgical Stainless Steel?
Under the Austenitic stainless steel metal comes the three most popular grades: 304, 316-L, and 316 Stainless Steel metals, considered medical degree or commonly known as surgical grade steel.
Exploring the Origins and Properties of 316L Stainless Steel
Yet, one wonders how the surgical grade steel got its name and how it originated.
Benefits of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel
As such, the most popular stainless steel variation for implants is the 316L stainless steel, a low-carbon version of the 316 Stainless Steel, hence the ‘L’ in its terminology.
Corrosion Resistance and Cost-Effectiveness of 316L Stainless Steel
According to the book written by JB Park which is, “Biomaterials Science and Engineering,” 316L austenitic stainless steel is the choice for surgical implants as its lower carbon content allows for better corrosion resistance, especially with chlorine-bearing solutions such as the physiological saline range of our bodies. Its improved resistance to corrosion makes it a far more cost-effective implant material.
Comparison of 316L and 316 Stainless Steel Grades
Moreover, comparing 316L and 316 Stainless Steel grades shows that its low-carbon counterpart is also a better choice for welding and a more accessible material that can work with centerless grinding machines.
Versatility of Stainless Steel in the Medical Industry
Nevertheless, other Austenitic stainless steel grades and the Martensitic ones are still helpful in the medical and healthcare field, not as implants but as tools, devices, or storage containers, proving the flexibility of stainless steel usage in the said industry.
Injection needles, surgical suction tubes, clamps, forceps, hospital bed handrails, and IV poles are all made from stainless steel, yet little is said about how they came to be. These essential tools and devices get their shape through abrasive grinding from the appropriate surgical grade steel through centered, centerless grinding and other applicable grinding processes.
Recognizing the Importance of Grinding Processes
Securing such a crucial step is necessary but often neglected, so it is essential to recognize and highlight its importance. These tools and drills will not become efficient devices within the industry without suitable grinding machines for centerless grinding and other precision grinding operations.
The necessity of the role played by the grinding processes is so important that it’s time to provide an avenue for people to know how important it is in producing top-quality medical tools and equipment.
Centerless Grinding for Surgical Tool Production
To illustrate, let us picture catheter dilator rods, lancets, and standard stainless steel surgical instruments in the operating room. These surgical-grade steel instruments must achieve the necessary finishes, thickness, and tolerances. To do so, stainless steel raw materials must undergo the proper through feed or a centerless grinding machine to produce the necessary high-quality surgical tool or device. Plus, a suitable grinding machine must also be useful depending on the steel variation, whether 316L or 316 stainless steel considering the difference in ease of machining between the two.
On such a note, one can say that having the 316L or 316 stainless steel is not enough. Such high-quality material must still undergo the proper centerless grinding or other abrasive grinding processes to achieve its required high-quality shape or tolerances.
The Final Word
With all that has been said and done about stainless steel and its common variations: 316L and 316 stainless steel, it is understandable why it is widely useful in the medical and healthcare industry. With its stellar features, such as robust resistance when it comes to corrosion, excellent capability to withstand high temperatures, as well as its easy-to-clean surface, it is no wonder this material is predominantly valuable in the creation of medical tools, instruments, and storage devices.
If you want to learn more, contact O’Hare Precision Metals today! You can also request a quote!