Forceps with Teeth, series I

Micro tweezers come in a wide variety of tip sizes, shapes, and materials. To choose the best tweezers for your application keep in mind the size of the animal and/or tissue you are working with. The type of cleaning and sterilization you require may affect the material you choose. For example, if you require autoclaving and you are working under a microscope on a mouse the thinnest-tipped forceps made of stainless steel, titanium, Dumostar, INOX, and Dumoxel are good choices.

Carbon steel instruments may not be the best choice for use where there is constant exposure to water. If not handled properly, carbon steel is likely to rust if exposed to water for a length of time. Though not recommended by Roboz Surgical, flash flame decontamination could be used on carbon steel tweezers because this material is less likely to be damaged by high heat. The extreme heat from flash flame decontamination changes the molecular structure of most material adversely. High heat softens metal and shortens the useful life of instruments. Consider another method of decontamination where lower heat levels can be applied to keep your instruments useful for many more years.

You will often see tweezers available in the Biologie pattern. Biologie tips are about twice as fine as standard tips. Some tweezers are available with a mirror finish and some in a matte finish. Make a choice between the two finishes based on personal preferences- there is no quality difference between the two. A mirror finish may look clean and will be more reflective under bright light than a matte finish. A Matte finish will not show smudges easily and the surface provides more of a grip. Both are high quality and protect the instrument equally.

Material Reference Guide

There are 6 different alloys to choose from when selecting a micro tweezers. The information below is provided to help you compare the various alloys and their respective properties. The six different alloys are carbon steel, titanium, stainless steel, Inox, Dumoxel, and Dumostar.

· CARBON STEEL: At Rockwell 60, carbon steel is one of the hardest tweezers' materials. Carbon steel tips are very durable but the hardness makes carbon steel tips more brittle than other steels. Carbon steel is also highly magnetic and stains easily. It will rust if exposed to water for any length of time.

· TITANIUM: While not as hard as some of the other alloys (Rockwell 37 at the tips), titanium tips are very flexible. A unique property of titanium is that it is 33% lighter than other stainless alloys. Titanium is extremely corrosion and stain resistant, making it the preferred choice for salt water uses. Titanium also has a high heat resistance, in excess of 400 degrees Celsius, and is completely non-magnetic.

· STAINLESS STEEL: The common name for various alloys composed of carbon steel and chromium. There are many different types and grades of stainless steel. Alloys considered stainless exhibit good stain resistance and have varying degrees magnetism. Stainless steel is less likely to show damage but it can still rust, corrode, pit, and be affected by chemicals and environmental conditions.

· INOX: Inox is a specific stainless alloy composed of carbon steel and chromium. Inox tips are more flexible than pure carbon steel but not as hard (Rockwell 55) . Inox has good stain resistance and is magnetic.

· DUMOXEL: One of the most popular tweezer alloys, Dumoxel is even more stain resistant than Inox and is highly corrosion resistant. With a Rockwell 36 at the tips, tweezers made from this alloy have very soft, flexible tips. Dumoxel is non-magnetic and exhibits high temperature resistance.

· DUMOSTAR: This new alloy is a blend of steel, chromium, nickel, and cobalt and has many of the best features of the other alloys. Dumostar is heat resistant to over 500 degrees Celsius and is completely non-magnetic. It is extremely corrosion resistant and is one of the harder alloys at Rockwell 62. However, because of its unique composition, Dumostar tips are very flexible, are resistant to fatigue, and are capable of flexing far beyond other alloys without permanently deforming. This alloy is far superior in overall performance than any other material available today!

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