THERE IS A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION THAT SPECIAL “SURGICAL” STEELS ARE USED FOR ALL MEDICAL DEVICES.
However, as medical devices represent approximately 1% of the total production tonnage of stainless steel, there
is little justification for the development of special surgical steels.
Furthermore, stainless steel medical devices are produced in low volume, batch processes or in high volume processes
utilising small quantities of material. Most non-implant medical devices (eg dental and surgical instruments,
kidney dishes, theatre tables, etc) are, therefore, manufactured from commercial grade stainless steels. These stainless
steels adequately meet clinical requirements where contact with human tissue is transient.