Materials

Helping You Choose the Right Material for Your Medical Device!

Material selection in medical device industry is very critical due to the industry requirements such as corrosion resistance, wear resistance and fatigue strength. Vector Medical offers its customers a wide selection of 300 series stainless steels to choose from when designing their medical incisional parts.

Our highly experienced staff is always happy to answer questions and address any concerns you may have. Simply contact us to discuss your need for medical incisional part that you need. We would be more than happy to advise you on your material selection.

Below is a list of some of the 300 series stainless steel we use to manufacture premium quality medical cutting instruments.

Vector Medical uses nearly all types of Boehler, 400 series and Vanax SuperClean® stainless steels to produce all medical cutting instruments.

300 Series—austenitic chromium-nickel alloys (SAE Steel Grades)

  • Type 301—highly ductile, for formed products. Also hardens rapidly during mechanical working. Good weldability. Better wear resistance and fatigue strength than 304.
  • Type 302—same corrosion resistance as 304, with slightly higher strength due to additional carbon.
  • Type 303free machining version of 304 via addition of sulfur and phosphorus. Also referred to as "A1" in accordance with ISO 3506.
  • Type 304—the most common grade; the classic 18/8 stainless steel. Also referred to as "A4" in accordance with ISO 3506.
  • Type 304L—same as the 304 grade but contains less carbon to increase weldability. Is slightly weaker than 304.
  • Type 304LN—same as 304L, but also nitrogen is added to obtain a much higher yield and tensile strength than 304L.
  • Type 308—used as the filler metal when welding 304
  • Type 309—better temperature resistance than 304, also sometimes used as filler metal when welding dissimilar steels, along with inconel.
  • Type 316—the second most common grade (after 304); for food and surgical stainless steel uses; alloy addition of molybdenum prevents specific forms of corrosion. It is also known as marine grade stainless steel due to its increased resistance to chloride corrosion compared to type 304. 316 is often used for building nuclear reprocessing plants. 316L is an extra low carbon grade of 316, generally used in stainless steel watches and marine applications, as well exclusively in the fabrication of reactor pressure vessels for boiling water reactors, due to its high resistance to corrosion. Also referred to as "A4" in accordance with ISO 3506. 316Ti includes titanium for heat resistance, therefore it is used in flexible chimney liners.
  • Type 321—similar to 304 but lower risk of weld decay due to addition of titanium. See also 347 with addition of niobium for desensitization during welding.

Getting Help on Material Selection is Easy

Contact us today to learn more about our 300 stainless steel series materials we use to manufacture premium quality medical incisional parts, cutting as well as biopsy instruments.

Began with Customers' Need in Mind...

Partnering with our sister company Baucor, Inc. (BAUCOR®) which is worldwide known for its top quality industrial blades, machine knives, and special cutting tools with its global offices in California - United States, Mannheim - Germany, and London - United Kingdom, Vector Medical has become a leading manufacturer and supplier of precision medical knives and custom specialty surgical scalpel blades. We began our operations to meet and address the needs of original equipment manufacturers and suppliers of medical device industry. Our wide product range includes custom and OEM medical knives, specialty custom surgical blades, scalpels, custom needles, medical punches, and custom incision and cutting instruments. 

With a proven record of success with every customer, Vector Medical is a proud manufacturer and supplier of highest quality razor-sharp medical cutting blades and knives while providing excellent quality within the shortest lead time in the market. For every project of our customers, we start with the end in mind to make sure all  customer requirements are met exceptionally the first time and every time.

Contact us today to discuss your needs for any medical cutting instruments, components and assemblies.  Our highly experienced technical and sales staff would be more than happy to answer your questions and address your needs.

Rapid Product Development

Rapid Product Development at Vector Medical allows our customers receive a full service of expedited production for their needs. Whether your company needs custom surgical blade made rapidly for your direct use or you are an engineering and design company in need of immediate prototyping service for your new products, Vector Medical provides full-scale manufacturing and engineering for our customers who need custom surgical blades, medical knives and specialty incision parts made from various stainless steel grades. Contact us today here to learn more about our capabilities and how Vector Medical can help you delivery exceptional quality products rapidly made for your immediate needs.

     

    *Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_steel_grades