Tantalum

A Quick Guide to Alloys and Their Medical Applications

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Do you know what are the most popular alloys in the medical market? What are their applications?  This medical alloys reference graphic gives a quick overview of alloys and their specialized uses in the medical industry.

Ask average people walking along the street what metal/alloy comes to mind when they think of medical uses - things like hip and shoulder joints, the orthodontia their kids might wear, the forceps used to remove stitches - they might come up with the answer "titanium." While this certainly is correct, there are lots of other metals and metal alloys that are used in the medical industry. They probably wouldn't answer "nitinol," a titanium alloy. Nitinol is actually used in the aforementioned braces! Nitinol can be found in other things too: stents, staples, septal defect devices, etc. Take a look at the graphic to see what all these alloys, in fact, can do; you might be surprised!

Such important implements, devices, and components that are used in and on the human body need to be durable and reliable. These medical pieces can improve the quality of life (to put it mildly) or actually save a life (to put it dramatically). Some of these alloys are actually used in and around the heart and blood vessel system! Only the best of the best will do to make up these medical items; lives are literally preserved and saved with them.

What alloys have you found in medical applications? Maybe you have experience with a loved one or yourself incorporating one of these medical pieces in your life? Are you a heat treater involved in the making of these products? Let Heat Treat Today know in the Reader Feedback.  

Download the full graphic by clicking the image below.

Source: Heat Treat Today

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Solar Atmospheres of Souderton, PA Adds Furnace for Titanium Reclamation

HTD Size-PR LogoSolar Atmospheres Souderton, PA incorporated a high-production vacuum furnace with a work zone of 48″x48″x72″ and a weight capacity of up to 7,500 lbs/batch. The furnace doubles the facility’s hydriding and de-hydriding capacity in the reclamation of titanium and tantalum materials.

Solar Atmospheres Souderton, PA installed the furnace with Solar Manufacturing’s vacuum furnace technology. The technology is aimed at safety and efficiency and will help in the reclamation process.

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How Medical Device Alloys Are Heat Treated

Roger Jones, FASM–CEO Emeritus, Solar Atmospheres (source: Solar Atmospheres)

Heat Treat Today’s Medical and Heat Treating December 2019 issue featured an article on medical alloys.  Heat Treat Today asked Roger Jones, CEO Emeritus of Solar Atmospheres, Inc., to comment on how specialty medical metals are heat treated. These include titanium, niobium, tantalum, nitinol, and copper, to name a few, which in turn are used to create such standard medical devices and equipment as diagnostic guide wires, miniscule screws for implants, complex surgical tools that are operated robotically, and more. Read to see how Roger describes the hot zone and conditions under which medical device alloys are heat treated.

To read the full article to which Roger Jones’ comments pertain, go to Medical Alloys Their Uses and Heat Treatments


Vacuum furnace chambers processing titanium, niobium, chrome cobalt, and other medical device alloys are typically constructed from stainless steel. The hot zones are comprised entirely of metal (moly); graphite materials are never used in the construction of the hot zone or in fixturing parts. These furnaces process medical device alloys exclusively to avoid cross-contamination of the hot zone or the medical parts being treated.

Ultimate vacuum levels should be 1 X 10-6 Torr or better, with leak rates no greater than 2 microns Hg per hour. Gas system isolation valves aid in achieving tight vacuum, as they eliminate constant pumping on the quench system. Vacuum furnace leak up procedures are performed weekly, as well as a bake out at 2400 °F for one hour.

Horizontal, front-loading vacuum furnace with all-metal hot zone in a cleanroom setting typically used for heat treatment of medical alloys and devices (source: Solar Atmosphere)

Because of the alloys processed, cooling gases are mainly high purity argon from a liquid source. Very seldom is nitrogen used for cooling. Either type K or type N Inconel clad work thermocouples are imbedded in the loads for precise temperature readouts at +/- 10 °F or better. Processes include vacuum annealing, aging, stress relieving, solution treating, hardening, tempering, and other special processing. All furnaces are approved to the MedAccred quality standard, are surveyed to AMS 2750E, and comply with AS9100D in their processing parameters. Because the alloys are thermally treated, the vacuum furnaces operate in an air conditioned clean room with controlled temperatures and humidity levels.

To read the full article to which Roger Jones’ comments pertain, go to Medical Alloys Their Uses and Heat Treatments

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