Non-implant medical devices use a short list of metals and engineering plastics again and again. The choice is driven by four questions: what the part touches (patient, drug, reagent or nothing), how it is cleaned and sterilized and how often, what it must do mechanically, and what the program can afford. This hub sorts the common materials by those questions and links to the detail pages. Grade designations for implant alloys are on the separate materials page.
| Material | Typical device families | Steam | Gamma | Machining | Cost tier (1 low to 4 high) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6061 aluminium, anodized | Housings, trays, frames, fixtures | Yes, dyes may fade | Yes | Easy | 1 |
| 303 / 304 stainless | Equipment shafts, brackets, fittings | Yes | Yes | Easy (303), moderate (304) | 2 |
| 316L stainless | Fluid parts, instrument parts, trays | Yes | Yes | Moderate | 2 |
| 17-4 PH stainless | Instrument parts needing hardness | Yes | Yes | Moderate, heat treat route | 2 |
| Titanium Grade 2 / Grade 5 | Lightweight instruments, MR-zone parts | Yes | Yes | Slow, heat at the tool | 4 |
| Acetal (POM) copolymer | Nuts, gears, clips, fixtures | Limited cycles | No | Easy | 1 |
| Polycarbonate | Clear housings, windows, manifolds | Under 100 cycles in resin data | Discolours | Easy, stress-sensitive | 2 |
| PMMA (acrylic) | Clear manifolds, light guides | No | Yellows | Easy, crazes with solvents | 1 |
| PSU | Clear parts needing some steam | Several hundred cycles | Yes, amber tint | Moderate | 3 |
| PPSU | Reusable handles, sterilization case parts | Over 1,000 cycles in resin data | Yes | Moderate, anneal | 3 |
| PEI | Housings, connectors, instrument parts | Yes, check grade data | Check grade data | Moderate | 3 |
| PEEK | Instrument parts, valves, fluid fittings | Over 1,000 cycles in resin data | Yes | Moderate, anneal | 4 |
| PTFE | Seals, seats, liners | Yes | No | Easy, creeps | 2 |
| PVDF | Fluid parts | Yes | Yes | Easy | 2 |
Sterilization columns summarize the sterilization compatibility chart, which cites the source for each rating. Cost tiers are typical relative values, not quotes.
How the detail pages fit together
| Page | Answers |
|---|---|
| Material compatibility with sterilization methods | Which of 20 materials survive steam, EO, gamma, e-beam and hydrogen peroxide, and how to read cycle counts |
| USP Class VI plastics | What the Class VI statement tests, how it compares with ISO 10993 and how to check a certificate |
| Tolerance windows by process | How material choice widens or narrows the practical tolerance |
More grade and polymer pages are planned for aluminium housings, stainless for equipment, PPSU, PEI, acetal and clear plastics. Until they are live, the blog covers aluminium housings and anodizing and PEEK versus PPSU for instrument handles.
Choosing in four steps
- Contact and duration. Parts in the patient or drug path narrow the list to grades with medical statements and a biological evaluation plan. Equipment parts that touch nothing open it to commercial grades with mill certificates.
- Reprocessing. Name the cleaning agents, the sterilization method and the cycles expected over the product life. This removes more candidates than any mechanical property.
- Function. Stiffness, wear, transparency, conductivity, magnetic behaviour and weight.
- Cost and supply. Availability of the size and grade, the machining time and the finish.
The device maker makes the decision and owns its biological evaluation. The partner shops in southern Vietnam machine the grade on the drawing and keep its certificate with the lot. Send your drawing through the RFQ form and we reply within 24 business hours.