SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENTS TIPPED WITH TUNGSTEN CARBIDE

¹ Department of Surgery, Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, The College of Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus

Tools tipped with tungsten carbide have the following advantages:

1. They can be produced at a nominal cost by any good machinist;

2. They can be autoclaved thus ensuring quicker and more through sterilization;

3. They retain their cutting edge for years without being sharpened;

4. They can be sharpened on an inexpensive readily obtainable, silicon-carbide grinding wheel; they need no honing.

However, they do have the disadvantage of chipping easily if they are ground to fine-feather edge. If they are properly ground, the tools will not chip unless they are dropped or are grossly mishandled.

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