Blog | The Razor Blade Company

Razor Blades and Modern Medical Manufacturing: The Cutting Edge of Crafting Life Saving Devices -Thursday, August 24, 2023

Razor blades play a vital role in the manufacturing process for catheter production, specifically in the preparation of catheter tubing. Their precise and efficient cutting capabilities play a crucial role in achieving accurate catheter dimensions.

Catheters are thin, flexible tubes used for a range of medical procedures, such as drainage, fluid delivery, and accessing blood vessels. The manufacturing process involves several stages, including extrusion, tip formation, and assembly. Razor blades are commonly employed during the cutting and trimming steps to achieve the desired catheter length and create smooth, even edges.

In the extrusion stage, a thermoplastic material, such as polyurethane or silicone, is forced through a die to create a long, continuous tube. Once the tube is extruded, it needs to be cut into individual catheter lengths. Razor blades, typically mounted on cutting equipment, are used to precisely and cleanly slice the extruded tube into specific lengths. The sharpness and precision of the blades ensure accurate and consistent dimensions across multiple catheters, which is critical for maintaining quality standards.

After cutting the catheter tube into individual lengths, razor blades may also be utilized to trim excess material or create specific shapes at the catheter tip. This step is crucial for specialized catheters, such as angioplasty or guiding catheters, where precise tip geometry is necessary for optimal performance during medical procedures.

Razor blades offer several advantages in the catheter manufacturing process. Firstly, their sharpness ensures clean and accurate cuts, minimizing the need for additional finishing processes. This efficiency contributes to higher production rates and overall cost-effectiveness. Additionally, razor blades are readily available and relatively inexpensive compared to other cutting tools, making them a practical choice for large-scale catheter production.

It is important to note that the use of razor blades in the catheter manufacturing process requires adherence to strict quality control and safety measures. Manufacturers must ensure the blades are properly installed, regularly inspected for wear or damage, and replaced when necessary to maintain consistent cutting performance and prevent any potential contamination risks.

In conclusion, razor blades are indispensable tools in the manufacturing process for catheters. Their precise cutting capabilities enable the accurate sizing and shaping of catheter tubing, contributing to the overall quality and functionality of the medical devices. As the medical industry continues to advance, razor blades will remain essential in the production of catheters, facilitating the creation of reliable and effective tools for various medical procedures.

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7 Reasons Why Razor Blades Lose Sharpness -Thursday, August 10, 2023

A razor blade's sharpness is a result of its edge being incredibly thin and keen, allowing it to cut through objects with minimal force. However, despite its initial sharpness, a razor blade cannot stay sharp forever due to several reasons:

Wear and Tear: Every time you use a razor blade, it comes into contact with surfaces that can wear down its edge. When you shave or cut something, the blade's edge interacts with the materials being cut, causing microscopically small deformations or wear. Over time, these minuscule changes accumulate, leading to a dulling of the blade.
Material Properties: Most razor blades are made from metals like stainless or carbon steel. While these metals are chosen for their durability and corrosion resistance, they are not immune to wear. Microscopic defects and impurities in the metal can lead to small sections of the blade breaking or wearing away during use.
Chemical Reactions: Exposure to moisture, air, and other environmental factors can cause the blade's edge to undergo chemical reactions, leading to corrosion or oxidation. This can further degrade the sharpness of the edge over time.
Plastic Deformation: The extreme thinness of a razor blade's edge makes it susceptible to plastic deformation, where the metal actually bends or deforms rather than retaining its original shape. This is especially true when the blade encounters tougher materials or is subjected to uneven pressure during use.
Blade Geometry: The geometry of a razor blade's edge plays a crucial role in its sharpness. Over time, the precise edge geometry can be altered due to the factors mentioned above, leading to a loss of sharpness even if the blade still appears to be intact.
Manufacturing Tolerances: While razor blades are manufactured with high precision, they are not completely flawless. Even minor inconsistencies in the blade's edge can lead to areas that wear down faster, contributing to the loss of sharpness.
Friction and Heat: During use, friction and heat are generated at the edge of the blade. This can contribute to the wear and deterioration of the blade's sharp edge.

Given these factors, even with proper care and maintenance, it's inevitable that a razor blade will lose its sharpness over time. Regular usage and exposure to various elements gradually alter the blade's edge, making it less effective at cutting and requiring eventual replacement.

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Understanding Martensitic Stainless Steel: The Perfect Balance of Corrosion Resistance and Strength -Thursday, July 20, 2023

Introduction:

When it comes to stainless steel, there are various alloys available, each with its own unique properties and applications. One such group of stainless steels is known as martensitic stainless steel. Renowned for their exceptional hardness, strength, and corrosion resistance, martensitic stainless steels have found extensive use in industries where these properties are paramount. In this article, we will delve into the world of martensitic stainless steel, exploring its composition, characteristics, and applications.

Composition and Characteristics:

Martensitic stainless steel is characterized by its high carbon content, typically ranging from 0.1% to 1.2%, and moderate chromium content, generally between 10% and 18%. Unlike other stainless steel alloys, martensitic grades do not contain nickel, which contributes to their magnetic properties. The absence of nickel also makes martensitic stainless steel more cost-effective compared to austenitic stainless steel grades.

What sets martensitic stainless steel apart is its ability to be heat-treated to achieve remarkable hardness and strength. Through a process called quenching and tempering, the steel is rapidly cooled from high temperatures, transforming its microstructure from austenite to martensite. This transformation grants the material its impressive hardness, making it highly suitable for applications that require wear resistance and durability.

While martensitic stainless steel excels in terms of strength and hardness, it does sacrifice some corrosion resistance compared to its austenitic counterparts. However, its corrosion resistance is still superior to that of carbon steels. It is important to note that the corrosion resistance can vary depending on the specific alloy and its chemical composition.

Applications:

Martensitic stainless steels find wide-ranging applications across various industries where hardness, strength, and resistance to wear are essential. Some notable applications include:

Cutlery and kitchenware: Martensitic stainless steel's hardness and excellent edge retention make it a popular choice for manufacturing high-quality knives, scissors, and other kitchen utensils.
Tools and tooling components: The exceptional hardness and wear resistance of martensitic stainless steel make it ideal for tooling applications such as razor blades, punches, dies, molds, and shears.
Industrial equipment: Martensitic stainless steel is utilized in industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, and food processing, where its strength, corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand high temperatures are crucial.
Bearings and valves: The hardness and resistance to wear of martensitic stainless steel make it well-suited for the production of bearings and valves, ensuring smooth operation and durability.
Automotive components: Certain automotive components, including gears, shafts, and brake discs, benefit from the strength and wear resistance provided by martensitic stainless steel.

Conclusion:

Martensitic stainless steel offers a unique combination of hardness, strength, and corrosion resistance, making it a sought-after material in various industries. While lacking the same level of corrosion resistance as austenitic stainless steels, martensitic grades are still superior to carbon steels and offer excellent mechanical properties. By leveraging heat treatment techniques, manufacturers can enhance the hardness and strength of martensitic stainless steel to meet the demands of specific applications.

As industries continue to seek materials that can withstand challenging environments while providing superior performance, martensitic stainless steel will continue to play a significant role. Its cost-effectiveness, magnetic properties, and versatility make it an attractive choice for applications where hardness, strength, and wear resistance are paramount.

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Customer Frustrations: Ordering Parts from Amazon vs. Professional Distributors with Expert Support -Sunday, July 9, 2023

Introduction: In today's digital age, online marketplaces like Amazon have revolutionized the way we shop, offering convenience and a vast array of products. However, when it comes to ordering specific parts or components, customers often encounter frustrations that can be mitigated by working with a professional distributor with expert support like the Razor Blade Company. In this blog, we will explore some of the common frustrations experienced when ordering parts from Amazon and highlight the advantages of relying on a professional distributor for a seamless customer experience.

Lack of Expertise: One of the primary frustrations with ordering parts from Amazon is the absence of specialized expertise. While the platform offers extensive product listings, it may lack the in-depth knowledge required to assist customers in making informed decisions. Professional distributors, on the other hand, have dedicated experts who can provide guidance, answer technical questions, and ensure customers select the right parts for their specific needs.
Product Authenticity and Quality Concerns: Amazon's vast marketplace includes a multitude of sellers, making it challenging to ensure the authenticity and quality of parts. Customers may encounter counterfeit or substandard products, leading to performance issues and potential safety risks. Working with a professional distributor minimizes these concerns as they typically have established relationships with trusted manufacturers, ensuring genuine, high-quality parts that meet industry standards.
Incomplete or Incorrect Product Information: While Amazon strives to provide accurate product information, it is not uncommon to come across incomplete or misleading details. Insufficient technical specifications or ambiguous descriptions can lead to customers ordering incompatible or incorrect parts, resulting in wasted time and effort. Professional distributors understand the importance of accurate product information and provide comprehensive documentation, ensuring customers have all the necessary details to make informed purchasing decisions.
Limited Customization Options: When customers require customized parts or components, Amazon's standardized listings may fall short. Unlike professional distributors, Amazon typically focuses on mass-market products, limiting the availability of specialized or tailor-made solutions. Distributors with expert support can offer customization options, collaborating with customers to meet their unique requirements, whether it be modifying existing parts or developing custom solutions from scratch.
Post-Sale Support and Troubleshooting: After-sales support is a critical aspect of the customer experience. Unfortunately, Amazon's customer support may not always be equipped to handle specific technical inquiries or provide timely assistance. Professional distributors excel in this regard, offering dedicated support teams with expertise in the products they distribute. They can assist with troubleshooting, offer guidance on installation or maintenance, and ensure customer satisfaction throughout the entire product lifecycle.

Conclusion: While Amazon has undoubtedly transformed the way we shop, it may not be the ideal platform for ordering specialized parts or components. The frustrations customers often face, such as the lack of expertise, authenticity concerns, incomplete information, limited customization options, and inadequate post-sale support, can be mitigated by working with professional distributors who offer expert guidance, ensure product quality, provide accurate information, offer customization, and deliver exceptional customer support. When it comes to ordering parts, relying on a professional distributor like razorbladeco.com can result in a smoother, more satisfying experience that meets your specific needs and requirements.

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Replacement Blades for Commercial and Industrial Settings -Thursday, February 4, 2021

Replacement blades are a necessity to any operation involving frequent cutting or scraping. Therefore, a replacement blade should perform efficiently because it must also be both economical in price and high in quality. Depending on your operations, replacement blades should either be highly effective or durable if not both. Sometimes the same blade design but in a different material like stainless steel can be more advantageous in your process flow verses for example a lower priced carbon steel version. These are always considerations one should have when choosing a blade to keep your processes flowing and profits growing.

Replacement blades can also refer to a secondary blade that is sufficient to use when your primary option is discontinued or delayed. So, it is important to have a resilient supply chain and multiple options. Accomplishing that is the hallmark of an adaptable and prepared team. At the Razor Blade Company, we are prepared to offer replacement blades and work with our customers to test and approve new blades to your existing process. Sourcing a replacement blade at the right price is the goal here as replacement blades will usually be more expensive since your primary choice is unavailable. To try best to avoid this issue from the start it is important to try and select mass-produced blades, work with a recommended supplier, and avoid high-priced custom-made razor blades when possible.

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Medical Manufacturing & Laboratory Technicians: The Particulate Dilemma -Friday, September 8, 2017

A highly innovative medical device manufacturer is currently experiencing an issue with the standard (non-cleanroom approved) single edge razor blades shown below:

Upon handling the razor blades, particulate is being transferred from the blade to the operators’ gloves. See below:

Glove Prior to Handling Razor Blade

Magnified Image of Glove Prior to Handling Razor Blade

Glove after Handling Razor Blade, Metallic Particulate Present on Finger Tips

Magnified Image of Glove after Handling Razor Blade

The images shown above are after handling a single razor blade. The next images shown below are after handling several razor blades.

For the manufacturer's processes, the razor blades are used by operators who also come into contact with plastic tubing. See below:

Once the operators have the metallic particulates on their gloves, it can be transferred to the tubing.

Additionally, a razor blade was wiped using IPA and a lint free cloth. The contaminant removed is shown below:

The medical manufacturer is accustomed to seeing some degree of particulate from single edge razor blades. However, it has become much more present. To the point where they are experiencing high yield loss (>25%) on certain lots of product.

The innovative manufacturer overcame this challenge with the GEM Runner Product Line. A one of a kind system, the GEM Runner is a re-loadable safety dispenser paired with clean room grade washed and degreased single edge blades. The results proved to achieve ultra-high levels of cleanliness while reducing waste and hand injury.

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Como Seleccionar la Navaja Correcta -Monday, April 17, 2017

(English version of this article available here)

Hay una gran variedad de navajas en el Mercado y entendemos que estas opciones pueden ser abrumadoras. Es para nosotros un gusto seleccionar el producto de acuerdo a sus necesidades por teléfono y enseguida le proporcionamos una referencia para que usted mismo seleccione la navaja que necesita.

Comencemos con lo básico:

Si necesitas seleccionar algo básico, te sugerimos iniciar con la navaja multiusos 94-0186 Premium Razor blade. Una navaja de acero con recubrimiento de aluminio, esta navaja es una de las más vendidas por su precio y calidad. Algunas de las Compañías que usan esta navaja son compañías de manufactura, negocios para polarizar ventanas, compañías de limpieza.

Para clientes que están a gusto con la navaja básica pero buscan algo con más filo, le recomendamos nuestro producto con filo extra que es el 94-307 hecho con acero al carbón, fabricado a través de dos procesos de rectificación para hacerla más filosa. Los clientes regularmente empiezan con nuestra navaja premium y cambian a esta navaja cuando necesitan un extra. Extra aguda, doble filo esto aplica para estas navajas.

Cortes ultra finos:

Algunos clientes encuentran como la mejor opción las navajas de acero inoxidable para su negocio. El acero inoxidable es uno de los metales más maleables que el acero al carbón. Lo que esto significa para usted es un primer corte aún más exacto, y un proceso un poco más rápido que con el acero al carbón. Nuestras navajas de acero inoxidable vienen con recubrimiento para reducir la fricción o sin recubrimiento para usos en donde el aceite podría ser un problema, como cuando se corta papel. El acero inoxidable no es la mejor opción para todos, cuando su trabajo requiere de cortes muy precisos incluso una hoja de acero al carbón con filo extra no será suficiente, pruebe nuestras dos opciones de acero.

Trabajos pesados

Algunas veces los clientes necesitan uno de los dos tipos de navajas de uso pesado. Ya sea la de trabajo pesado hecha de acero inoxidable o la navaja súper delgada de .012"de grosor o la estándar de .009 de grosor. Los Clientes seleccionan la de recubierta de acero inoxidable cuando notan que la de recubrimiento de aluminio se dobla con el uso. Seleccionan también la de .012” de grosor cuando necesitan una navaja delgada para cortar o necesitan que sea la medida de una herramienta o de una máquina.

Opciones Economicas

Todas nuestras navajas de acero al carbón son suavizadas y afiladas, hechas con el tipo de acero al carbón 1095. Recientemente añadimos una línea económica de navajas hechas con el tipo de acero 1074 para trabajos en los que la calidad de la navaja no es prioridad. Si el precio es prioridad puede considerar esta línea económica. Ofrecemos diferentes navajas económicas para cubrir diferentes usos y negocios.

Casos especiales y Ambientes Esterilizados:

Algunos Clientes necesitan navajas certificadas para usarse en ambientes esterilizados. The Razor Blade Company le ofrece diferentes navajas con estos requerimientos y certificadas por ISO 14611-1 Estándares Clase 3 al 8. Estas navajas se ofrecen en paquetes de 10 dispensadores de navajas para eliminar las fibras que producen cuando están empacadas en el cartón. También ofrecemos empaques tipo dispensador de botón de presión. Este tipo de navajas son usados en ambientes esterilizados y son de uso común para cortar catéter.

Nuestro personal especializado le brindará la ayuda necesaria. Por favor llamenos por cualquier pregunta que tenga con su orden.

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Purchasing from a Distributor vs. Manufacturer -Thursday, May 19, 2016

In the distributor vs. manufacturer debate, the distributor will be the most attractive option in most cases due to a variety of reasons.

Most companies seek the services of a manufacturer to have something custom-made, for example, packaging or a specially sized part, or some custom design work. This type of work is where manufacturers excel because they tend to focus on the creation of something rather than the sale of a product.

A distributor focuses on the selling of goods rather than their production. You can feel confident that a distributor is more customer-focused, and they will provide you better shipping times, and more reasonable pricing. A distributor can help you meet your sales goals, for example, a distributor understands that you need to get product quickly to make it available to your end customer fast and at the best price possible.

Another benefit of working with distributors is that they tend to offer low minimums for wholesale orders, which is quite different from most manufacturers. A manufacturer usually makes a sample of a product and then requires a large order of that item to justify the cost to create the product. Large quantity orders are not a concern when using a distributor because order minimums are usually much lower. Also, most distributor locations tend to be more local, making it more convenient and quicker to receive deliveries.

Moreover, a distributor has access to multiple manufacturers and products. This is the best situation for the customer because they will be provided a solution that best fits their needs instead of being offered a single solution by a manufacturer. In this particular scenario, the distributor shines by providing better sales support and flexibility.

Our dedicated and knowledgeable staff would welcome an opportunity to assist you further. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or to place an order.

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How to determine your company’s purchasing patterns: 4 Steps -Saturday, May 14, 2016

Your sales pipeline management is an important part of keeping your supply side costs low. Here is how to determine your company’s purchasing patterns and save money from the analysis.

The Hierarchy of Decision Making

How many people does an order go through before it gets finalized? Is the hierarchy a bottleneck? These questions are the most important to ask at the beginning of your analysis, because people create systems, not the other way around.

Purchase Frequency

Is your company better served with an on demand schedule, or do you gain some leverage from stocking up in an off-season? Check the pricing of your suppliers to see if you can get better prices during certain times of the year, and weigh the savings there against your costs of storing inventory until you need it.

Purchase Payment

Cash flow is a very important part of business that too few people consider. A net 60 versus a net 30 payment structure can create the difference in payroll during a slow sales season. In general, use good credit to gain leverage for tough times.

Purchase History

Your past success in purchasing should dictate future policy. Are there certain times during the year when you can count on higher sales? Did having an inventory save you from a bottleneck in the past? Go over past records and determine the best pattern for your future through the best times in your past.

Please contact us when you are ready to buy razor blades at wholesale prices for industrial or commercial clients. We pride ourselves on being your trusted niche vendor with a cost-effective solution for your purchasing needs.

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Direct Procurement vs. Indirect Procurement -Thursday, May 5, 2016

The way that you buy has just as much to do with your success in business as what and how much you buy for. You must understand the difference between direct procurement and indirect procurement in order to move your business forward.

What is Direct Procurement?

Direct procurement focuses on volume-based purchases of raw materials. These purchases directly affect the revenue stream of a business, and the volume orders allow the company to acquire resources at cheaper prices. Companies that look ahead can save money and lock in lower rates for raw materials using direct procurement.

What is Indirect Procurement?

Indirect procurement focuses on service based purchases that allow for the daily operation of business. These purchases are more singular in nature and have less to do with revenue than with operations and administration.

An Example of the Difference

For instance, while a direct procurement may involve purchasing palettes of steel and copper to manufacture computer chips, indirect procurement is more along the lines of outsourcing an air conditioning repair to the local HVAC company once every six months.

Which Type of Procurement is More Important?

Without direct procurement, a company will not produce the revenue that allows it to buy indirect procurement services. Although the company in the above example may find the office uncomfortable without AC for a few months, prioritizing AC over the steel and copper limits the company's ability to ever make the AC repair.

Please contact us when you are ready to buy direct and save. We offer direct procurement opportunities to help your business longevity.

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