Rigors annealing facility one of the best in pakistan

Annealing of Surgical Instruments – Purpose & Process

Annealing, especially within a dedicated Rigors Annealing Facility, is a crucial thermal process in surgical instrument manufacturing that improves metal ductility, reduces internal stress, and enhances work ability—especially before or between machining, forging, or cold forming steps.

 Why Annealing is Important for Surgical Instruments

1.  Stress Relief

   • Removes internal stresses caused by machining, forging, or hardening.

   • Prevents warping, cracking, or breakage during future use or sterilization.

2.  Improves Workability

   • Softens stainless steel for easier cold forming, bending, or stamping.

   • Common before forming clamps, forceps, scissors, and complex parts.

3.  Maintains Metallurgical Integrity

   • Reduces grain boundary brittleness.

   • Ensures uniform microstructure, crucial for precision instruments.

4.  Enhances Corrosion Resistance

   • Makes the surface more receptive to pickling and passivation, improving anti-rust properties.

 Annealing Process Overview

 Rigor Instruments’ Annealing Facility

• Electric Furnace with programmable temperature cycles (up to 1100°C)

• Protective Atmosphere Control (for high-grade tools like micro instruments)

• Batch Monitoring System with time–temperature graph logs

• Used on 420, 440C, 316L stainless steel, and titanium components

 Rigor Instruments – Annealing Machinery List

1.  High-Temperature Electric Annealing Furnace

• Type: Muffle or Box Furnace

• Temperature Capacity: Up to 1100°C

• Chamber Size: Custom sizes to accommodate small batches to full-size trays

• Features:

  • PID temperature controller

  • Multi-zone heating for uniform thermal distribution

  • Safety interlocks

• Usage: For stainless steel grades like 420, 440C, 316L, and titanium

2.  Digital Temperature Control Panel

• Touchscreen display with programmable time-temperature profiles

• Data logging for ISO 13485 & CE traceability

• Overheat protection and error alert system

3. Heat-Resistant Stainless Steel Trays & Racks

• Material: SS-310 or SS-314 for high-temperature tolerance

• Used to organize instruments during annealing without contamination or warping

4.  Forced-Air Cooling Chamber (Optional)

• Used when controlled cooling is required to avoid rapid temperature drop

• Maintains metallurgical grain integrity

• Optional nitrogen atmosphere to reduce oxidation for titanium parts

5.  Protective Atmosphere System (for advanced setup)

• Gas Options: Argon or Nitrogen

• Reduces surface oxidation and scaling

• Used in high-precision tools (e.g., ophthalmic, micro dissection tools)

6.  Post-Annealing QA Equipment

• Rockwell/Vickers Hardness Tester: Verifies structural softening

• Microscope (Metallurgical): Inspects grain structure

• Tensile or bend testers (optional): For mechanical testing of formed blanks

Process Control & Compliance

• All annealing cycles are documented and batch-tagged

• Fully compliant with:

  • ISO 13485

  • CE Marking

  • ASTM A380/A967 (pre/post pickling/passivation)Please check our page https://rigorinstruments.com/about-us/ to see the level of experience and professionalism .