In the medical prototype industry, requirements of precision, cleanliness, and efficiency are becoming crucial. The use of effective techniques like injection molding to fabricate these stringent parts has become prominently popular for the mass production of medical-use plastic components. Even so, not all medical items can be made only by injection molding. Various other techniques like 3d printing, and CNC machining are also practiced for prototype manufacturing. The optimal selection of process is very important to use additive to its fullest potential. Therefore, this blog helps you provide valuable information about the key role of injection molding in the medical industry.
Common Injection Molded Medical Products
Injection molding is notably considered a convenient option for several medical products. The following are the categories and examples of medical items that are best produced by advantageous techniques.
1. Single-Use Medical Devices
The disposable medical devices are made for one-time use on a single patient during a specific procedure and they are a wide range of products that need to be made with great accuracy that is why injection molding is a good fit.
Syringes, which are the most widely used medical instruments in the world, are the result of the injection molding’s ability to make rapid and precise shape replication.
The making of surgical instruments such as scalpels and forceps is highly benefited by injection molding, which guarantees the constant output of intricate, high-quality items.
2. Medical Housings and Enclosures
In the field of medical devices, the function of housings and enclosures is not only about the appearance but also about the performance. They are the key factor in the prevention of bacterial entry into the sensitive parts and they are easy to clean, and their strength is such that they can be operated while wearing gloves.
The complicated diagnostic equipment requires the exact molds to be made for the housing to protect the intricate machinery from environmental hazards. Just like the surveillance equipment, the protective cases are designed to be user-friendly and comfortable, and this is possible through the injection molding’s ability to create complex shapes easily.
3. Implantable Components
In the field of implantable medical devices, accuracy and uniformity are the most important factors, and there is no room for inaccuracies in the production process.
Using injection molding for implantable components needs materials like medical-grade plastics, silicone, or bioabsorbable polymers. These materials help provide useful products in cellular integration with the surrounding tissues guaranteeing a perfect fit for each patient.
Factors To Consider For Injection Molding Medical Products
The choice of products that are to be produced through injection molding should not be based solely on shape and function, but also on factors including; material selection, regulatory standards, and customization potential are the three very important factors.
1. Material Selection
The proper material selection is the key for injection molded medical products. It should not only be biocompatible, i.e., it can interact safely with the human body’s systems but also has the appropriate surface finish properties and sterilization capabilities. Biocompatible materials such as polycarbonate and polypropylene are the most used because of their strengths, and structural integrities.
2. Regulatory and Safety Standards
There are strict regulations that are enforced to protect patient health in the medical field. To say that a product is safe for use, it must first meet certain standards, for instance, the ones that are specified in ISO 13485 for quality management systems or the FDA requirements for medical devices. Injection molding is a key player in the fulfillment of the requirements since it allows plastic parts to be produced in a way that always meets the standards and regulations.
3. Design of Manufacturability and Function
It’s imperative to use the design for Manufacturing (DFM) approach for molding plastic medical products. The DFM makes it simpler to identify factors like how the mold will be filled, the materials to be used, and the final shape obtained from the very beginning of the design process. Therefore, manufacturers can avoid costly tooling changeovers and the uniformity of the products will be ensured once the production is finished.
Moreover, product design should be very thorough in the evaluation of features such as thin walls or undercuts to make sure that they are suitable for molding without affecting the quality of the injection molded parts. Besides, the design of the mold, which includes its look, is also of great importance as it has a big effect on the final quality of the mold.
Medical Grade Plastics For Device Manufacturing
Many engineering polyplastics are the best for medical injection molding, mainly thermoplastics because of their better performance than thermosets.
1. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
PEEK is a common thermoplastic that engineers use because it is resistant to the most difficult environments, such as radiation, high temperatures, chemicals, and wear and tear. It is the usual tool in the making of medical and surgical implants. Besides, PEEK has great dimensional stability even under high stress and other outstanding mechanical properties, so it’s a perfect material for manufacturing medical devices. Its compatibility with injection molding and other fabrication techniques used in medical equipment is an additional advantage of its suitability for medical applications.
2. Polyethylene (PE)
Polyethylene among other medical grades is a heavily used plastic polymer. Usually, it’s made up of numerous ethylene polymers. So, its structure is usually rigid. In addition, It’s a biocompatible polymer that contains biological tissues in its structures. Its ability to endure strict conditions, such as sterilization, making it a sound plastic for medical injection molding. Despite this, polyethylene is ideally used to create prototypes for joint prostheses, connectors, tubing, and pharmaceutical containers.
3. Polycarbonate (PC)
Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that is strengthened through the condensation of bisphenol A and phosgene, and it is an engineered material. Although it looks transparent, it has the same good mechanical properties as toughness, flexibility, and resistance to abrasion, breakage, and temperature extremes.
The compatibility of the material with the body tissues, a characteristic of medical-grade plastics, makes it possible to produce a variety of medical plastic injection parts such as transparent masks, protective gear, and oxygenators.
4. Polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene is a kind of plastic polymer that is used in plastic injection molding, which is produced by the condensation of several propylene units. It has excellent rigidity and resistance to cracks, high infrared radiations, abrasions, temperature fluctuations, and wear, and tear resistance.
These qualities of pp make it an indispensable material choice for the production of components in the healthcare sector, such as connectors, tubing, syringes, knee and hip replacements, and respirators.
5. Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene is a top-grade engineering-grade plastic that is also suitable for medical injection molding. Compared to other thermoplastics, it is not flexible but has good mechanical properties and compatibility with body tissues.
Its resistance to severe conditions guarantees high dimensional stability, which is the most important for all the medical components. Polystyrene is the most used material for the production of Petri dishes, culture trays, and other diagnostic parts.
Wrapping Up
Injection molding has become an adaptive process for manufacturing top-quality medical products. This technology also rises as a driving force behind the creation of new treatments and the improvement of the whole patient care. These decisions are the ones that are going to be the ones that are going to shape the future of medical manufacturing because the molded products that we choose are the ones that are going to be the ones that are going to be the ones that are going to influence that future.
Frequently Ask Questions
Q1. How medical products are shaped through the injection molding process?
Injection molding medical devices is the process of using injection molding techniques to produce the parts of the medical devices. This process consists of heating plastic components until they turn into a molten state, then reshaping them into the exact designs that are necessary for various medical gadgets.
Q2. Mention the types of injection molded medical products.
Here are some commonest injection molded FDA-approved medical use devices including; Petri dishes, syringes, and tubing to complex ones like implants, device housings, prosthetics, and much more.
Q3. Why injection molding is a convenient option for fabricating medical devices?
Medical injection molding is typically considered a cheap, accurate, efficient, and stringent quality part fabrication solution for producing many medical and pharmaceutical components. For instance, medical devices, laboratory tools, equipment, and testing instruments.