A manufacturer of high-end surgical instruments came to Custom Rubber Corp. because they were not happy with their old supplier—quality was not up to standard, and delivery/responsiveness was not acceptable. The company is accelerating the transition from traditional glass-reinforced nylon handles to a softer, sure-grip silicone.
Custom Rubber Corp.'s experience in bonding metal to rubber, and suggestions on design changes to take advantage of silicone rubber's flexibility/sealing capability have resulted in a superior design. The surface texture was chosen to maximize the surgeon's grip, but also insure that no contamination is left in deep grooves after cleaning and sterilization.
The part requires two separate cores, one on each end of a cylindrical aluminum insert, that keep the rubber out of the threaded holes. The spherical handle has a flat spot to insure the surgeon can orient various tools correctly after they are screwed into the handle. One handle can take any number of different tools. The other threaded opening in the spherical handle is for the "strike plate," which is used when a little more force is required.
The molded rubber parts pictured are not in stock or for sale. These are examples of custom-manufactured products that illustrate Custom Rubber Corp.'s capabilities.