Medical Device

17-4PH is gummy and has a high work-hardening rate. As the tool cuts, the material tends to “smear” and stick to the cutting edge (Built-Up Edge), rather than breaking cleanly. This increases friction and heat. Nobeve K-Series hobs use a positive rake angle design and Alcrona Pro coating specifically to shear the material cleanly and prevent adhesion.

While K-Series supports dry cutting, for medical parts (especially stainless steel), we highly recommend using Medical-Grade Cutting Oil . Stainless steel generates high heat that can cause work-hardening without coolant. The oil also flushes away fine chips that could mar the surface. Post-process ultrasonic cleaning is standard practice to remove oil residues.

With our W-Series Solid Carbide micro skiving cutters, we can machine internal gears with a diameter as small as 11 mm . The limiting factor is the shank stiffness. Our solid carbide design maximizes rigidity, allowing us to go smaller than indexable or brazed tools ever could.

Burrs can detach during surgery, which is dangerous. We use Ultra-Fine Grain Carbide (0.2µm) for our K-Series. This allows us to grind an incredibly sharp cutting edge that slices the material rather than tearing it. For critical applications, we also recommend integrating a Chamfer Hob in the process to mechanically remove any potential burr at the tooth tip.

Our coatings (Alcrona Pro, TiAlN) are PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coatings. They are extremely thin (2-4µm) and tightly adhered. While the tool coating itself does not transfer to the part, it ensures the part's surface integrity. The finished gear, after cleaning and passivation, meets standard biocompatibility requirements. The coating helps maintain the surface purity by preventing tool material transfer.

In micro gears (Module < 0.5), the bore of a standard hob is very small. Mounting it on an arbor introduces runout (eccentricity) due to the fit tolerance. Even 5 microns of runout is huge for a micro gear. Solid Shank Hobs are ground as one piece with the shaft, eliminating this assembly error and guaranteeing near-zero runout.

Yes. We understand medical development cycles involve iteration. We have a dedicated “Fast Track” for custom prototypes. We can manufacture a custom K-Series or W-Series tool in as little as 3-4 weeks to help you validate your gear design quickly before moving to mass production.

In medical manufacturing, a tool breaking mid-cut can scrap a very expensive part. We use a Linear Wear Predictability model. By strictly controlling the carbide grain size and coating thickness, our tools wear down slowly and predictably, rather than failing catastrophically. This allows you to set safe tool change intervals with confidence.