Stainless Steel CNC Machining for Medical and Dental Parts
Instrument components, handles and lab fixtures need a shop that already treats galling, work hardening and traceability as normal work, not surprises found after cutting starts. Reply within 24 business hours.
We own no machines and we are not a certifying body. We do not hold ISO 13485 ourselves. When the part needs it, we place your RFQ with a partner shop that does, and you name the certificates you need back on the RFQ.
One itemised quote, no separate service fee. Only the partner shops that price your part see the drawing. NDA on request.
What makes medical and dental work different
None of this is exotic machining. It is the same stainless everyone else cuts, with a few failure modes and paperwork requirements that only show up once the part is assembled or sterilised.
Galling between mating parts
Two stainless faces that rub or click under load, such as a hinge, a ratchet or a threaded fastener, can cold-weld to each other in service even when both parts machined perfectly. It is a grade and pairing decision, not a finishing fix.
Work hardening on small features
Thin walls, small bores and fine threads on instrument parts harden fast under a rubbing tool. A shop that runs stainless daily solves this with feed and fresh tooling, not by slowing down and making it worse.
Passivation as a requirement
Citric passivation to ASTM A967 or AMS 2700 is close to universal on parts that touch body fluid or get sterilised, with a certificate that names the method and the batch.
ISO 13485 is not automatic
Instrument components and lab fixtures often go to an ISO 9001 shop. Implant and device-critical work usually needs ISO 13485. Say which one your part requires so we do not send it to a shop that would have to decline.
Grades that come up in this work
Published typical values. The full table with all six grades is in the grade reference.
| Grade | Machinability | PREN | What it means on the floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 316 / 316L / 1.4404 | 36 | 24 | Two to three percent molybdenum buys chloride resistance. The grade food, pharma and medical buyers ask for by name, and the slowest of the common three to cut. |
| 17-4 PH / 1.4542 | 50 | 16 | Machined soft in condition A, then aged to 30 to 44 HRC. H900 is the hardest and the least corrosion resistant, H1150 the other way around. |
| 416 / 1.4005 | 85 | 13 | Free-machining martensitic. The cheapest of this group to cut and the weakest against corrosion. Shafts and fasteners that stay dry and indoors. |
Where two parts rub against each other and galling is the concern, a nickel-free austenitic such as Nitronic 60 is worth naming in the RFQ instead of accepting the risk on 316L. See galling resistant stainless.
Typical parts
- Surgical and dental instrument handles and jaws
- Ratchet and hinge mechanisms
- Lab and analyser fixtures
- Implant instrumentation, non-implant
- Sterilisation tray hardware
- Diagnostic equipment housings and shafts
What to put on the drawing
A specification a shop can quote against, and three quotes that end up comparable.
- Grade and standard316L to ASTM A276, or 17-4 PH with the condition, for example H900.
- CertificateWhich quality standard the shop must hold, ISO 9001 or ISO 13485, named explicitly.
- PassivationASTM A967 or AMS 2700, citric, with the certificate required back.
- TraceabilityMill certificate with heat number, and first article report if your device file needs one.
- Mating surfacesFlag any part that rubs or clicks against another stainless part in service.
Keep reading
- Choosing a Supplier
ISO 13485 against ISO 9001 for machined parts
Which certificate your part actually needs, and when ISO 9001 is enough.
- Materials
316 against 316L against 316Ti
The low-carbon L suffix and why it matters after welding.
- Materials
Nitronic 60 for galling resistance
What galling actually is and when a grade change is the fix.
- Process
Passivation against electropolishing
What each one does and when a part needs both.
- Process
Work hardening in stainless parts
Why small features harden fastest and what a shop does about it.
- Choosing a Supplier
Reading a mill test certificate
What a heat number actually traces, and what to check before you file it.
Questions about medical and dental work
Something else? Email .
Do the partner shops hold ISO 13485?
Some do and some hold only ISO 9001. Instrument components and lab fixtures often go to an ISO 9001 shop, while implant and device-critical work usually needs ISO 13485. Tell us which certificate your part requires and we only place the work with shops that hold it.
Which grade is right for a surgical or dental instrument part?
316L is the default for anything sterilised or in contact with body fluid. 17-4 PH earns its place when the part needs hardness above 30 HRC, for example a ratchet or a cutting edge, and can still take the passivation. Where two parts rub or click against each other under repeated use, ask about a galling-resistant grade such as Nitronic 60 instead of accepting a stalled or seized mechanism later.
Why do mating parts gall on a device that machined perfectly?
Galling is a surface welding failure between two stainless faces under load and motion, not a machining defect. It shows up on hinges, threaded fasteners and ratchet mechanisms after assembly, and no amount of extra polishing on the print prevents it. The fix is usually a grade change or a dissimilar-material pairing, decided before the parts are cut.
Does a medical part always need a mill certificate?
Ask for one whenever the device file or your quality system requires heat traceability, which is most medical work. A mill certificate names the heat number, the composition and the mechanical properties actually measured on that heat, not the specification limits.
Do you certify parts as medical grade?
No. There is no such thing as a universal medical grade stainless, only a grade and a finish that suit the specific contact and sterilisation the part sees. We place your RFQ with partner shops that already document to the standard you name, and you name the certificates you need back on the RFQ.
Have an instrument or fixture drawing ready?
Send the short version now. Name the certificate your part needs and any mating surfaces, and we will ask for anything else missing.