Abstract
The sharpness of cutting edges and apexes is crucial in the performance of various medical devices. A method of medical needle finishing, consisting of large area ion beam sputtering, is introduced and studied. Significant deburring, edge sharpening and surface modification of the needles is demonstrated by an experiment. The influences of working gas composition and total ion fluence on the resulting needle properties are emphasized. It was shown that the utilization of an Ar/dry air mixture (37/6) resulted in a significant improvement in surface morphology, compared to pure Ar sputtering. The effect of gas composition is discussed in terms of concurrent material sputtering and chemisorption of reactive species. Needle sharpening aspects studied using microscopy techniques were confirmed by measuring the force required to push a needle through a plastic film. The puncture force of an as-grinded needle was reduced by ∼50% by means of the reported method.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
