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ISO 13485 CNC Machining for Medical Devices

Regulated machining for surgical, instrument, and implant-adjacent components, produced to your drawing. Full traceability, material certs, and lot control, to ±0.003mm when technically appropriate.

Documented quality system and material traceability
Material certs & lot traceability
First article & final inspection
Tolerances to ±0.003mm when technically appropriate
No MOQ, prototype through production

Overview

Medical device components live in a different supply chain than general machining. Buyers ask for material certificates, lot traceability, validated inspection, and retained records so any part can be traced back to the raw bar, the machine, the operator, and the inspection result. ISO 13485 is the quality management standard that requires us to control those things systematically, not ad hoc.

Our machining of hardware has been certified to ISO 13485. We machine surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment components, implant-adjacent parts, and device housings in titanium, 316L stainless, aluminum, and medical-grade plastics. Every medical order ships with the documentation your quality team expects, and the same engineering team that quotes your part stays on it through production.

What's included

  • 3, 4, and 5-axis CNC machining
  • Material certificates on every order
  • Lot traceability: material, machine, operator, inspection
  • First article and final inspection against your print
  • Dimensional reports and certificates of conformance on request
  • Surface finishing: passivation, electropolishing, anodizing, bead blast

Specifications

Quality systemDocumented quality system with material and lot traceability; certification documentation is available on request.
Tightest tolerance±0.003mm (CNC) / ±0.001mm (grinding), when technically appropriate
MaterialsTi-6Al-4V, 316L SS, 17-4 PH, aluminum 6061/7075, PEEK, PTFE, Delrin
DocumentationMaterial certs, FAI, final inspection, lot traceability
Typical CNC lead time10–20 days
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Quality standard

What ISO 13485 means for machining

And why a general machine shop is not the same as one working to a documented quality system.

ISO 13485 is the quality management standard written specifically for medical devices. It takes the ISO 9001 baseline and adds requirements that matter when a part ends up in or near a patient: design control, risk management, traceability, validation, and retained records.

For a machine shop, the practical effects are specific. Material certificates are not optional. Every lot is traced from raw material through machine and operator to inspection result. Inspection methods are documented and repeatable, not improvised. Non-conforming parts are segregated and dispositioned, not quietly shipped. Records are retained so a part shipped two years ago can be traced if a field issue surfaces.

A shop without ISO 13485 can machine a part to the same dimension. It cannot, however, give a medical buyer the documentation and process control their quality system requires. That gap is why ISO 13485 is the entry requirement for regulated medical supply.

What changes vs general CNC

Material certsRequired on every lot
TraceabilityMaterial, machine, operator, inspection
InspectionDocumented, repeatable, retained
Non-conformanceSegregated and dispositioned
RecordsRetained for field traceability
Process

How a medical order runs

  • Drawing review and DFM feedback before quoting, with risk flagged on features that affect function or cleanability
  • Material sourced with certificates; lot recorded against your order
  • Machining on 3, 4, and 5-axis equipment under documented process control
  • First article inspection against your print, reported before production continues
  • Final inspection, dimensional report, and lot traceability compiled
  • Finishing applied (passivation, electropolish, anodize, bead blast) per specification
  • Packaging and documentation shipped with the parts, not separately

The same engineer who reviews your drawing prices it and stays on the order through production and shipping. No hand-off to a shared sales inbox, no re-explaining your spec to someone new at each stage.

If your drawing needs an NDA in place first, ask before you send it. We sign NDAs for medical drawings routinely.

Materials

Materials for medical machining

Full list on our Materials & Finishes page →

Turned fasteners with internal Torx sockets and rolled threads

Titanium Grade 5

Ti-6Al-4V. Biocompatible, high strength-to-weight. Implant-adjacent and structural components.

Machined housing with a rectangular aperture, bored boss and mounting lugs

316L Stainless

Low-carbon austenitic stainless. Corrosion resistant, widely used in surgical instruments and implants.

Turned and milled bodies with internal threads, milled flats and cross-drilled holes

17-4 PH

Precipitation-hardening stainless. High strength for instrument shafts and structural medical parts.

Machined cylindrical body with an internal thread, flange bolt pattern and milled flat

PEEK & plastics

PEEK, PTFE, Delrin. Radiolucent, chemically inert components and insulators.

Documentation

What ships with your order

Material certificateMill cert, included on every order
First article inspectionReported against your print before production continues
Final inspectionDimensional report against your print
Lot traceabilityMaterial, machine, operator, inspection linked to your lot
Certificate of conformanceAvailable on request

Additional documentation such as process validation records or specific format requirements are confirmed with your quote.

Tolerance

What we hold

Linear dimension±0.003mm (CNC) / ±0.001mm (grinding), when technically appropriate
Feature-to-feature (single setup)Held in one fixturing, confirmed per drawing
Hole diameter (not reamed)Confirmed during engineering review
Shaft diameterConfirmed during engineering review

Tolerances vary by material, geometry, and process. Exact tolerances are confirmed against your drawing with every quote.

FAQ

ISO 13485 machining questions

What does ISO 13485 mean for CNC machining?

ISO 13485 is the quality management standard specific to medical devices. For a machine shop it means documented process control, lot traceability, validated inspection, and retained records so every part can be traced back to material, machine, operator, and inspection. It is the baseline requirement for supplying machined components into regulated medical device supply chains.

Do you supply implant or implant-adjacent components?

We machine implant-adjacent and instrument components in titanium Grade 5, 316L stainless, and medical-grade plastics. Whether a specific implant application is in scope is confirmed against your drawing and intended use. Send your requirements and our engineering team will confirm fit and any validation needs.

What documentation ships with a medical order?

Material certificates, first article inspection reports, final inspection against your print, and lot traceability. Additional documentation such as certificates of conformance or process validation records are available on request, confirmed with your quote.

What tolerances can you hold on medical parts?

We hold ±0.003mm on standard CNC work and ±0.001mm on ground features. Medical components often require tight feature-to-feature accuracy, which single-setup 5-axis machining supports. Exact tolerances are confirmed against your drawing with every quote.

Can I get an NDA before sending a medical drawing?

Yes. Ask for our NDA before you send anything and we will get it signed first. Medical drawings often carry IP we treat as confidential by default.

Send us a medical drawing. Get an engineer's review.

Upload your CAD file, material, intended use, and target quantity. Our engineering team reviews manufacturability and traceability requirements, then quotes. No automated pricing, no shared sales inbox.