Every time you need medication delivered quickly, a medical practitioner will use one of the most innovative and essential inventions in modern medicine: hypodermic needles.
Imagine a healthcare industry where medical equipment like hypodermic needles does not exist. The medication would have to be ingested and tolerated and ultimately would not activate as quickly as intravenous medication does.
So exactly how are hypodermic needles made? What goes into their manufacturing?
Keep reading to learn the specifics of this essential medical innovation.
What Are Hypodermic Needles?
Hypodermic needles are essentially hollow needles. They allow an individual to draw liquid from a source and then inject the liquid.
Hypodermic needles allow patients to receive medication quickly. Without them, individuals would have to ingest medication, running the risk of chemical alternation in the digestive system.
Hypodermic Needle Starts With a Ribbon
Hypodermic needle production typically begins with a ribbon or strip of stainless steel. Manufacturers pass the strip through a series of rollers which form it into a tube.
Once the manufacturers have formed the ribbon into a tube, the outside diameter reaches approximately a quarter of an inch. Then automated machines weld the seam of the tube.
Heating up to Reduce Diameter
At this point, you have the general shape of the hypodermic needle but not a usable product. The tube is far too large for medical professionals to use as a needle. Plus, it does not have the sharpened end of a needle.
The tube continues to move down the manufacturer line where intense heat softens the metal. The tube passes through several progressively smaller holes that reduce the tube diameter progressively.
By the time the tube has reached the end of the heating and reduction process, it is 0.014 of an inch wide, the perfect size for a 28-gauge needle. This entire process reduces these starting tube diameters by 95 percent.
As the outside diameter goes down, the diameter inside the tube also goes down and the walls of the tube begin to thin as they stretch. While the tube passes through each die or small hole, the production speed amps up.
Final Steps
Once the needle has reached its reduced size, the manufacturer turns off the heat. Machines cut the tube to its proper size and then sharpen the tip of the needle. With the needle complete, manufacturers need to just install a barrel and plunger to complete the syringe and prepare it for us in a public or private medical practice.
The final product will vary from a 10-gauge needle that has a 0.106-inch diameter to a 33-gauge needle that has a 0.0035-inch diameter hole. The smallest needle has a diameter less than the diameter of human hair.
Since its development in the mid-19th century, hypodermic medical needles have only improved. Now you can find plastic and disposable syringes as well as micro-needles at medical supply stores like this one.
Modern Medical Innovation
Hypodermic needles have revolutionized the healthcare industry. Individuals can receive treatment and relief quickly. Their production is a precise technique that allows quick production.
Did you find this article helpful? If so, keep visiting our site. We produce educational, information-filled articles daily.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Technology category
Leave a Reply