10 tips for making medical equipment from aluminum
Aluminum in medical equipment
The production of medical equipment from aluminum requires careful design and cooperation with a professional and specialized supplier in order to reduce production costs and increase speed while complying with legal requirements. Also, the quality of the product will increase in accordance with the standards of medical equipment.
Aluminum is basically a category of metal used in various industries due to several main properties such as low density, strength and non-toxicity. Also, the possibility of high machining, which can be easily recycled, encourages us to choose this metal as a premium metal.
Leading companies for medical components use aluminum instead of expensive materials to produce new and existing equipment to control and reduce production costs.
Production of medical equipment from aluminum
Here are 10 important points that are important for manufacturers and according to them, they can improve the design of their medical equipment before the product development process, to help it, the total cost of production and the time required from the production stage to delivery. market.
Aluminum in medical equipment medical extrusion industry
Some of the main applications of Aluminum in medical equipment
- Dialysis equipment and equipment for renal patients
- Various equipment such as X-rays
- Aluminium extrusions In the construction of hospital beds
- In the production of dental units and chairs
- In the production of wheelchairs, walkers and stretchers
Aluminum in medical equipment medical extrusion industry
1 Specify the purpose of the design
Designers must have a thorough understanding of the end use of the product when building and developing new equipment in order to provide this information to the aluminum equipment manufacturer. The more understanding and information the manufacturer has about the end use of the product, the better the guidelines for structural design will be.
Because when it comes to using aluminum instead of different materials, there are different ways to meet design needs more efficiently, effectively and cost-effectively. For example, riveted roll shapes can be replaced by extruded aluminum profiles, resulting in increased strength and elimination of bonding costs.
2 Detailed review and design of aluminum profiles
To increase strength and durability, to reduce weight or to easily assemble parts that need to be joined together, designers need to think carefully about the dimensions of each part and their characteristics so that they can make the most of it when using aluminum to build .
Aluminum extruders, for example, have a high strength-to-weight ratio, which means they can be thickened or profiled to reduce the weight of the parts, while maintaining overall strength.
3 Determination of critical and non-critical tolerances
Extruded aluminum profiles can be designed and manufactured with a certain tolerance or standard dimensional tolerance.
Designers must determine in advance exactly what kind of tolerance is really important for each component or component to be based on the same design and production. By working directly with component manufacturers to achieve a specific design goal, only perfectly correct tolerances can be applied to reduce CTF by the time of manufacture.
4 Complete knowledge of the connecting parts according to the characteristics of each part and the final assembly
The adaptability of the aluminum extrusion process makes it an ideal process because any type of feature can be incorporated to make it easier to attach parts to complementary parts.
For example, connecting the parts with clamps made it easy and quick to assemble, without the need for special tools. Other features such as swivel tail grooves, screw closure holes or internal screw grooves can greatly reduce the connection time of spare parts. As a result, careful consideration of the needs and resources of the final assembly, in the design phase, helps designers a lot.
If important characteristics are identified in advance, it will not only help speed up the final assembly process, but will also help develop ergonomic and reliable installation methods, which is a very important step in building medical equipment.
Aluminum in medical equipment medical extrusion industry
5 Identify the needs and requirements of beauty before the product
Designers need to determine the sleek look of aluminum parts so they can choose the best way to produce based on the ultimate goals. Designers must do their design with the finishing touches in mind. When extruding aluminum, each of the surface properties or different areas may have specific effects on the surfaces.
Designers must take into account various surface characteristics, such as grooves or corrugated parts, in order to hide the effects that remain on extruded aluminum. You should even consider packaging medical devices made of aluminum. Proper packaging to separate the parts and not damage them during transport will ensure that the products arrive at their destination completely safe.
6 The design must be capable of production at the industrial and commercial level
You have to choose the best production process to get to the nearest final shape or final shape and form. For this reason, you should work with suppliers who accurately specify the production needs of your product and suggest the best way to produce.
7 Choose the best aluminum alloy for the production process and application of the product
Design engineers must know specific and fixed equipment items, performance needs, estimated annual consumption, and product manufacturing processes in order to select the desired aluminum alloy.
Each alloy has its own characteristics and some of them are better for some production processes than others. Some alloys have higher extrusion speeds, some alloys bend more easily, and some are more suitable for machining processes than others. Choosing the right alloy also has a big impact on the surface finish.
Aluminum in medical equipment medical extrusion industry
8 Choose the best method of final payment
Parts that do not care about appearance can be used in the same raw form without finishing. Designers should keep in mind that sometimes after performing chemical finishing processes such as anodizing and powder application, the tolerance of these products also changes because during this process a layer of a certain thickness is added to the parts.
For that reason, designers need to know how much each of the final payment methods affects their final shape, fit and performance. Various finishing options for parts are considered based on your need to improve properties such as heat dissipation, corrosion resistance or wear.
9 Be familiar with the properties of aluminum
Aluminum is a desirable material for many products with different applications. Not only is aluminum lightweight – about a third of the weight of steel – but its natural surface coating is a protective layer of oxide that makes it resistant to corrosion.
The electrical and thermal conductivity of aluminum is almost identical to that of copper and can be completely recycled, requiring only 5% of the energy required to produce the primary base metal.
10 The design must comply with the requirements and rules of different standards
When designing any type of medical equipment, care must be taken to ensure that the design principles comply with legal requirements and standards. For example, RoHS and REACH standards and certifications tell manufacturers that the type of materials they use to make a product must be controlled and non-toxic.
In any case, whether some laws such as RoHS prohibit the use of hazardous substances or require you to register, evaluate, license and restrict chemicals, such as REACH, you should work with suppliers who have complete knowledge and information in this area. . and will help you comply with the rules and requirements in this regard.
Aluminum in medical equipment medical extrusion industry
Achieving the expected results and the right equipment in the shortest possible time with a very competitive and cost-effective price is what we are looking for, which is the measure of success.
Leading manufacturers of medical equipment who prefer aluminum over other metals and fully and professionally communicate with their suppliers in the very early stages of design can drastically reduce the overall cost of the production process and increase product quality.
