Precimade FR Send a drawingfor a quote

Surgical instruments and instrumentationThe instruments that
place the implants.

Instrumentation for placing orthopedic and dental implants: quick-connect handles, drills, taps, reamers, cutting guides, trial implants. Machined in instrument-grade stainless steel (ASTM F899), titanium and engineering polymers, from prototype to production, with a traceability file for every lot. Handles can be insert-overmolded by Factory Plast, the group’s injection molding company.

Instrument families

What we have already machined for the operating room

The instrument families Precimade has already machined, from the power-tool connection to the trial implant.

  • Handles and quick connects

    Straight handles, T-handles, ratcheting handles, AO, Hudson and Trinkle quick-connect bodies.

  • Screwdrivers and screw holders

    Hex and hexalobular screwdrivers, retaining screw holders, torque-limiting screwdriver components.

  • Drills and reamers

    Standard and cannulated drills, step drills, reamers, counterbores.

  • Taps

    Bone taps with chip-clearing flutes, cannulated taps, matched to the thread of each screw.

  • Rasps and broaches

    Femoral and humeral rasps, bone broaches, with milled or EDM-cut teeth.

  • Cutting and drill guides

    Resection blocks, drill guides, protection sleeves, positioning templates.

  • Gauges and depth gauges

    Depth gauges, sizing gauges, inspection and bending templates.

  • Trial implants

    Trial heads, stems and inserts that confirm the size before the final implant is placed.

Materials
Instrument-grade stainless steel ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1: 1.4123 (X15TN), 1.4543 (MX455), 17-4PH, Z20C13, Z30C13, 440B; engineering polymers: PEEK, PPSU, POM-C
Support
Instrument and tooling design with the Origin 3D (opens in a new tab) engineering office
Connections

Quick connects

The link between the handle, or the power tool, and the instrument

The quick connect links the handle, manual or powered, to the instrument. It transmits torque, provides axial retention and lets the surgeon change instruments with one hand, without tools. We machine the instrument shank (male part) as well as the connector body and its locking sleeve (female part), to the chosen standard or to the manufacturer’s proprietary connection. Functional clearance and locking are verified during assembly inspection.

Parts already produced
Quick-connect bodies, locking sleeves, instrument shanks
Materials
Instrument-grade stainless steel (ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1)
Equipment
Tornos DECO 13 / 20, DMG Mori NTX 1000
Assembly
Assembly and functional testing of the locking mechanism

Main types of quick connects

  • Small AOShank with flat and groove. Small-diameter screwdrivers, drills and taps.
  • Large AOSame principle, heavier section for high torque: reamers, large-diameter taps.
  • HudsonShank with flat and groove, widely used on reamers and hip and knee instruments.
  • TrinkleNotched connection for surgical power tools, often used for reamers and cannulated drills.
  • JacobsKeyed chuck that clamps a smooth round shank: pins, round-shank drills.
  • ¼″ hexHex shank with ball detent, common on screwdrivers and ratcheting handles.
  • SquareSquare shank for T-handles and torque wrenches.
  • Proprietary connectionsConnections specific to a power tool or instrument manufacturer, machined to the customer’s drawing.
Drills · cutting guides

Cutting instruments

Preparing the bone precisely before the implant is placed

The drill prepares the screw seat; the guide sets the resection plane of the saw blade and the drilling axis. Point angle, helix angle, clearance angles, concentricity and the condition of the cutting edges determine the precision of the procedure and the heating of the bone, which must stay below the thermal necrosis threshold (about 47 °C for one minute). The figures show a drill, then the same drill engaged in its cutting guide.

Parts already produced
Drills, cannulated drills, taps, reamers, cutting and drill guides
Materials
Hardened martensitic stainless steels and instrument-grade stainless steel (ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1)
Equipment
Tornos DECO 13 / 20, DMG Mori NTX 1000, DMG Mori DMU 50 (simultaneous 5-axis), Fanuc wire EDM
Inspection
Keyence LM-X, Hexagon Global S CMM

Parts shown in the figure

Drill

Learn more about these parts

Point and cutting edges. The two cutting edges remove material; the point angle and the clearance angle determine the feed force, the quality of the hole and the heating of the bone. Material: Hardened martensitic stainless steel (e.g. 1.4197, 440C) · ASTM F899. Typical process: Point grinding. On this model: 118° point angle.

Helical flutes. The two helical flutes carry the chips out of the hole. The central web gives the drill its stiffness; the two margins guide it in the hole. Material: Hardened martensitic stainless steel (e.g. 1.4197, 440C) · ASTM F899. Typical process: Flute grinding or milling. On this model: Ø 5 mm, 36 mm cutting length.

Graduated body. The graduations, marked every 5 mm, show the drilling depth flush with the guide or the protection sleeve. Material: Hardened martensitic stainless steel (e.g. 1.4197, 440C) · ASTM F899. Typical process: Turning, marking of the graduations (laser or grooves). On this model: Mark every 5 mm.

AO shank. Standard shank with flat and groove: the drill mounts tool-free on a surgical power tool or an AO quick-connect handle. Typical process: Swiss-type turning: groove and flat. On this model: Ø 4.5 mm.

Cutting guide

Learn more about these parts

Guide body. Machined block that positions the saw blade at the right height and angle. It has a closed cutting slot, an angled hole that guides the drill, a pin hole, two open grooves for pins and a lug that receives the alignment rod. Material: Instrument-grade stainless steel (e.g. 17-4PH 1.4542, 1.4021) · ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1. Typical process: 5-axis milling, slot by wire EDM, angled drilling. On this model: 1.4 mm slot, 14 mm thick.

Locking knob. Knurled thumb screw, hand-tightened, that locks the alignment rod in the lug of the guide. Material: Instrument-grade stainless steel (e.g. 17-4PH 1.4542, 1.4021) · ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1. Typical process: Swiss-type turning, knurling.

Alignment rod. Rod that extends the guide along the limb. By aligning it with the axis of the bone, the surgeon sets the orientation of the cut before pinning the guide. Material: Instrument-grade stainless steel (e.g. 17-4PH 1.4542, 1.4021) · ASTM F899 / ISO 7153-1. Typical process: Turning, grinding.

Saw blade. The oscillating saw blade slides in the slot: the clearance between the two, a few hundredths of a millimeter, sets the accuracy of the cutting plane. Manufacturing: Consumable, not machined by us.

Drill. The angled hole in the guide orients the drill: the angle and position of the hole in the bone no longer depend on the surgeon’s hand. The drill graduations, read flush with the guide, give the depth. Material: Hardened martensitic stainless steel (e.g. 1.4197, 440C) · ASTM F899. On this model: Ø 5 mm, 15° angled hole.

Handles

Overmolded handle or machined handle

The handle is the part of the instrument held in the hand; it carries the insert or connection that transmits the force. Two technologies are mastered within the group: overmolding of an insert machined by Precimade, injection molded at Factory Plast, and machining from solid at Precimade. The choice rests on four criteria: annual volume, ergonomics, transmitted loads (torque, impaction) and reprocessing method, repeated steam sterilization or single use.

1 · Insert loaded into the cavity2 · Mold closing3 · Polymer injection4 · Mold opening and ejection5 · Removal by vacuum-cup gripper moving half fixed half gripper · vacuum cups Injection nozzlehorizontal press Machined insertPrecimade Overmolded polymeraround the insert
Insert overmolding: the robot loads the machined insert into the cavity, the mold closes, the polymer is injected around the insert, then the part is ejected and removed by a vacuum-cup gripper.

Precimade + Factory Plast

Insert-overmolded handle

Precimade machines the insert (shaft, quick connect or tip) with its anchoring features: knurling, grooves, anti-rotation flats, through holes. Factory Plast, Processus Group’s injection molding company, overmolds it. The polymer locks mechanically onto these features, which provides torque and pull-out resistance.

What injection molding brings

  • Freedom of shape. Ergonomic contours, flutes, surface texture, radii and draft angles come straight from the mold, with no secondary operation.
  • Two-shot molding. A rigid core and soft thermoplastic elastomer grip areas are produced in the same cycle.
  • Molded-in color coding. Color identifies size or function and does not wear off over wash cycles.
  • Repeatability. Process validated through IQ/OQ/PQ, locked and recorded parameters, lot after lot.
  • Cost and weight. Low unit cost in production once the mold is amortized; lighter than a metal handle.

To be addressed at the design stage

A gap-free metal-polymer interface, for validatable cleaning (ISO 17664-1). Uniform wall thicknesses, to limit sink marks and residual stresses. A grade suited to reprocessing: repeated steam sterilization (ISO 17665) for reusable instruments, ethylene oxide or irradiation for single use.

Best suited for regular production runs, color-coded ranges, instruments held in the hand for long periods and single-use instruments.

Discover Factory Plast (opens in a new tab)

Milling cuttergrip grooves Chuckmain spindle Raw barstainless, titanium, PEEK, PPSU, POM-C Turning toolrhombic insert, follows the profile Finished profileone-piece, no tooling
Mill-turning: the turning tool cuts the bar to the handle profile, then the milling cutter machines the grip grooves, in a single setup.

At Precimade

Handle machined from solid

The handle is machined from bar stock, in stainless steel, titanium or an engineering polymer. It is usually one piece with its connection or shaft.

What machining brings

  • No tooling. Short lead time, geometry that can change from one lot to the next: suited to prototypes and small runs.
  • One piece. With no metal-polymer interface, stiffness is maximal and cleaning is simpler.
  • High loads. Withstands impacts and high torque: impactors, T-handles, rasp handles.
  • Secondary details. Flutes, flats, cannulation, laser marking of the UDI.

Best suited for prototypes, small and medium runs and instruments subjected to high loads.

Materials
Instrument-grade stainless steel ASTM F899 (303, 304L, 17-4PH, 1.4123 – X15TN), Ti-6Al-4V; polymers machined from solid: PEEK, PPSU, POM-C

Comparison

CriterionOvermolded handleMachined handle
VolumeRegular runs, amortized moldPrototype, small and medium runs
Lead time and toolingMold to build, then high outputNo tooling, short lead time
ErgonomicsFree-form shapes, soft areas, color codingTurned and milled shapes, coding by marking
LoadsTorque and pull-out taken by the insert anchoringOne piece: impaction, high torque
ReprocessingDepending on grade: repeated steam or single useRepeated steam (metal, PEEK, PPSU)

Injection-moldable grades for instrumentation

GradeReprocessingTypical use
PPSUSteam 134 °C, more than 1,000 cyclesReusable handles, market reference
PEEK, PEEK GF30 / CF30Steam 134 °CHighly loaded handles, radiolucent parts
PEISteam, several hundred cyclesHandles, guides
PSUSteam, shorter life than PPSUInstruments with a limited number of cycles
PAISteamParts requiring very high strength and creep resistance
PARA (PA MXD6, 50–60% glass-filled)Single use: ethylene oxide, irradiationRigid single-use instruments, metal-like feel
PCSingle use, or limited 121 °C steamTransparent guides, single-use kits
TPE-S, TPV, TPUDepends on gradeSoft-grip areas, by two-shot molding

Indicative values. Medical grades with documented biocompatibility (ISO 10993, USP Class VI), with the supplier’s commitment to notify formulation changes. All these grades are processed by Factory Plast.

Figures and illustrations: generic instruments shown for educational purposes, which do not reproduce any commercial product. The parts we have already produced are those listed under “Parts already produced” in each section; items marked “not machined by us” are shown to explain the assembly.

An instrument to be machined?

Send us the drawing of the instrument or its connection. We reply within 48 hours.

Send a drawingThe implants we machineSpine, joints, extremities, trauma, dentalSee the material data sheetsX15TN, MX455, 17-4PH, PPSU…