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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Cleaning and finishing procedures for bone screws
Q. Interested in finding out standards relating the pre and post fabrication cleaning procedures of stainless steel 316 L or 316LVM used in the fabrication of bone screws and bone plates. The process available in this country is an "oily" one, which means that I must remove it before any further process. Wondering as well if the electropolish procedure will clean such oil?. If not, any references about the process to remove such oil?
Ricardo Romeromedical equipment engineer - Caracas, DF, Venezuela
2004
A. Hi Ricardo. Here in the U.S., this would be subject to all kinds of standards, including U.L. and ASTM. The electropolishing step per se is not intended to remove oil; rather, a cleaning step is universally applied before electropolishing. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003
A. My answer to you does not address the safety or medical standards industry; however, as a very cheap, inexpensive and simple deburring process, you might want to try part on part mass finishing your parts without any liquid at all. Keep an eye on your time cycle and you will still have to clean your parts after processing.
AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
2004
Q. Helpful thread and posts, though I don't quite get it how is one on one mass finishing done?
I make 316LVM SS and TA locking bone screws in Iran, and use electropolish for SS, but that usually does not suffice and parts may need some more hand deburring under magnifier.
I do Glass Beads for TA and that seems alright,
I was about to start with magnetic deburring, since my ultrasonic process can not do any good deburring.
I would appreciate any advice
- Tehan, Tehran, Iran
October 9, 2013
A. I suggest electropolishing, since only electropolishing can remove small burrs and open smeared hidden areas where bacteria can grow. Small stainless steel screws can be electropolished in basket in Universal electrolyte. The Tantalum pieces can also be electropolished. You will save time on individual inspection and cleaning.
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Anna Berkovich
Russamer Lab
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 12, 2013
A. Anna usually has good advice, but since you specifically asked about mass finishing I will give you more info. Mass finishing equipment only sets up a mechanical energy force that transmits energy to the mass within the work chamber. What you put in with the parts determines what comes out in the way of a surface finish. The more abrasive the media the rougher the part and the shorter the time cycle. In your case, I suggested part on part because of the small size of your parts and the time to separate the parts from the media. If there is enough weight/mass or batch of parts the faster it will achieve the results. Weight and pressure is key.
AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
October 15, 2013
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