Medical Plating
About Medical Plating
Medical Plating Services
Titan Plating provides specialised plating services for the medical industry, ensuring high standards of sanitation, reliability, and safety for devices like surgical instruments, orthopaedic implants, and heart valves. Our metal finishing processes enhance product quality, cleanliness, and performance, minimising defects that could impact patient health.
Biocompatible plating is essential for devices implanted in the body, such as artificial hips and pacemakers, where coatings must pose no harm to human tissue. Adhering to international quality standards helps produce smooth, rust-resistant surfaces that resist bacterial growth, reducing infection risks and implant rejection.
Technological Advancements in Medical Metal Finishing
Traditional medical devices have used stainless steel, but advancements favour metals like titanium for hip and knee replacements due to its lightweight strength. Titanium screws aid bone healing similarly. Magnesium shows promise for biodegradable implants and orthopaedic devices, avoiding removal surgeries. However, coating magnesium and titanium with other metals presents challenges in the finishing process.
Patient Benefits from Medical Metal Finishing
Patients gain from minimally invasive procedures enabled by advanced plating, which supports compatible equipment and instruments. This reduces recovery time and healthcare costs.
Benefits of Medical Device Coating
Electroplating is a key finishing method, immersing parts in an electrolyte solution with metal ions like gold, silver, or nickel, using an electric current to deposit the coating. Reasons for medical plating include:
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Cleanliness and Sanitation: Antimicrobial metals prevent bacterial growth and infection risks.
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Corrosion and Wear Protection: Reusable tools like surgical clamps face harsh sterilisation; coatings extend lifespan, reducing replacement costs.
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Electrical Conductivity: Coatings enhance conductivity for electrical medical devices.
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Thermal Conductivity: Metals draw heat away from the body, minimising burns or adhesions.
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Strength: Electroplating supports welding dissimilar metals like nickel-titanium and stainless steel.
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Radiopaque Regions: High-density coatings like gold block X-ray radiation for clearer imaging.
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Catheter Braid Coating: Locks intersections for accurate insertion and kink resistance.
Metals Used in Medical Device Coating
Various materials suit medical finishing:
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Gold: Highly biocompatible, conductive, and corrosion-resistant; used for stents, pacemakers, laser contacts, and dental crowns.
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Silver: Cost-effective, conductive, and antibacterial; ideal for heat conduction and infection resistance.
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Copper: Economical, conductive, and antibacterial; suitable for laboratory and thermal applications.
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Tin: Non-toxic, corrosion-resistant, and ductile; tops lead/tungsten shielding in MRI and radiological equipment.
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Sulfamate Nickel: Corrosion-resistant with 99.9% purity; undercoats for gold/silver on flexible contacts.
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Plating onto Titanium: Nickel/platinum coatings enhance corrosion resistance and hardness for titanium devices.
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Electroless Nickel Plating: Uniform, hardness-enhanced coatings with phosphorus for lubricity; magnetic properties adjustable, resistant to anaesthetics.
Specific Electroplating Methods
Rack electroplating suits large, complex, or delicate parts, attaching them to racks for immersion. It's labour-intensive but precise.
Barrel electroplating fits smaller parts, tumbling them in a non-conductive barrel for even coating, ideal for high-volume production.
Other Medical Metal Finishing Processes
Passivation removes debris from stainless steel, creating a film for corrosion resistance and sterility; applied to implants, tools, and springs.
Electropolishing removes metal ions for smooth surfaces, offering superior microfinishing and corrosion protection over passivation.
Considerations for Medical Metal Finishing
Select processes based on biocompatibility, cost, and quality management. Titan Plating offers tailored solutions meeting high medical standards.
Titan Plating’s Medical Expertise
Titan Plating handles diverse medical plating projects, including gold, silver, tin, copper electroplating, and electroless nickel plating. We specialise in plating onto titanium, delivering fast turnaround for critical applications. Our ISO-certified processes ensure precision from prototyping to production, supporting surgical tools, implants, and devices.
Get in touch with Titan Plating
Whether you need expert advice or a custom quote, our team is here to help. Reach out today to discuss your project.
Marlborough House, The Courtyard,
Hartley Wintney, Hook RG27 8NY