The progressive use of aluminum in all the sectors of tools and machinery is unexplainable. The drastic expansion in the use of aluminum is because of the features it holds. Aluminum is used in many industries for building tools and machinery that includes the medical industry as well. The medical industry is one of those industries where discrepancies in the products are not acceptable. It is because people cannot afford to take risks here. Unlike other industries, health industries are more concerned about the precision of the tools that are manufactured and the hygiene they maintain of the tools and the surroundings. The tools and machinery that are formed for the healthcare sector should be well-finished and sanitized. This is why aluminum is chosen here.
Thanks to aluminum for being a savior. It saves the life of many people each day with its fine features like lightweight, self-protecting properties, eco-friendly, and cost efficiency. The introduction of lightweight materials like aluminum has helped to reduce the cost of transportation and is easy to hold. Thus, it helps to provide affordable machinery to different hospitals and nursing homes. Its cost efficiency helps poor people to also get access to good healthcare facilities.
In this article, we will be focussing only on the healthcare industry and how aluminum die casting is applied to it, and how effective it has been in this field.
What is die casting?
Die casting is the process by which a replicated form of the actual metal is done with an alternative metal or alloy that has more fine specifications than the actual one. Here, a mold, a hollow structure of the desired product is formed, and then the molten form of the aluminum alloy is poured into the mold. There are two types of die-casting processes, one is high-pressure die casting and low-pressure die casting.
Between high-pressure and low-pressure die casting, the main difference is the pressure through which the molten aluminum metal or alloy is poured into the mold. The die casting which happens with high pressure makes the product more porous whereas, the mold with low pressure makes the product less porous and more rigid.
Why aluminum is best for medical equipment?
This section is the best one to get introduced the features of aluminum to the reader who is planning to make the best out of aluminum for casting. Unlike other metals, aluminum has all the features that are required to become the best fit for die casting. In this section, we will try to jot down all the necessary features that aluminum possesses and that are a total fit for its position as follows:
- Aluminum has low density but high tensile strength which makes it adhere to a tight tolerance.
- Aluminum has huge corrosion resistance properties. It also forms a layer o oxide on its own to protect the metal from minimal corrosion.
- The very light weight of aluminum helps to reduce the transportation cost and thus, makes it a cost-efficient metal of all.
- The rigidity of the metal makes it have high dimensional stability.
- The metal is quite durable due to its anti-resistant properties.
- It also has EMI shielding.
Aluminum alloys used in the Medical industry
There are very specific two or three alloys that are used for medical equipment. Unlike other industries, the medical industry has more eye on the accuracy and the finishing details of the product. As the healthcare industry has lives at stake, they can take no risk. They are bound to take responsibility and all the required precautions and measures one can take. The alloys that are used in medical industries are A360 and A380 aluminum. Now, we will be looking at the features of these alloys individually to give support to my verdict.
This aluminum alloy offers the best strength-to-weight ratio and great corrosion resistance to make them the best fit for medical uses.
A360 alloy
- This alloy has more silicon content than any other alloy
- The alloy is hard to cast but best for medical use because they are ductile
- They are perfect for pressure-tight components.
A380 alloy
- They have a high thermal conductivity
- They can keep dimensional stability at high temperatures.
- Ideal for projects who are looking for something that is cost-efficient and can be in plenty.
How to decide the best aluminum die-casting producer for your medical appliances
Well, there is a criterion by which one can choose which will be the best aluminum die casting that can be chosen for manufacturing medical appliances. It is very important to do business with those who have ISO 13845 certification because they are the only ones who are going to follow the rules and guidelines set by the medical industries centrally. This will provide safety and a warranty for your device for a lifetime.
Other aluminum casting methods for the medical industry
Other than die casting, investment casting is also helpful in the medical industry as it gives finished products with high tensile strength. It also helps to use in different areas of medical sectors as well. This method also helps in managing the high tolerance power and making the complex design equipment. There are three types of investment die-casting processes are available:
- Premium grade investment casting – This process makes premium complex shapes that vary in size and weight and that are also used for prototyping.
- Commercial grade investment casting– This can cast less complex yet larger designs. The size range varies from large to small. It has larger cast tolerance and high precision.
Summary
The medical industry needs to manufacture products with high precision and perfect finish. The healthcare sector has people’s lives at stake so, it is the duty of the dealer to take care of the products so that they do not fail to work in the time of emergency. One can choose dealers like sunrise metal who deal with clients in healthcare sectors and they are also ISO 13845 certified maintaining all the guidelines mentioned by the medical industry. They also have a feature where you can customize and get step-by-step verification and update about your product from the manufacturer.