For your convenience, we have answered the most common medical pad printing questions asked by new customers. If you don’t find the answer to your question here, please contact us at 1-800-666-4016 for help.
What percentage of your business is medical device-related?
100%.We are the only pad printer in the world catering exclusively to the medical device industry.
How long have you been providing your services exclusively to the medical device industry?
CI Medical is the only pad printing company that prints exclusively on medical devices for over 35 years
Is there an optimal size medical device company that CI Medical services?
CI Medical works with medical device companies of all sizes ranging from startups to well established Fortune 500 companies. In fact, a majority of our business is conducted with the largest medical device manufacturers in the world. But, no prospective customer is too small! All of our customers are attracted to CI Medical for our problem solving capabilities.
Do you have the capacity to handle large volumes?
We have the largest capacity in North America with more machines than any other supplier, allowing us to handle any volume.
How fast can you turn a job around?
Our prototyping capabilities allow us to meet the most stringent time frames dictated by our customers.
Since you are located in Massachusetts, do you only service the Northeast U.S.?
Absolutely not! In fact, because our printing capabilities are so unique, customers come to us from all over the world.
Do you use medical grade inks?
Yes. All inks used in our operation are Class VI certified for use on medical device components and meet the stringent requirements of regulatory agencies both in the U.S. as well as abroad (Europe).
Do you offer any specialty ink and techniques?
Yes, our offerings are continually in development. Some of our specialty inks include Radiopaque™ inks. We are the only pad printer in the world that offers Silicone Radiopaque™ inks that are proprietary and unique to CI Medical. Specialty proprietary techniques include methods that allow us to print on difficult substrates and surfaces that others insist are “unprintable.”
My product requires plasma gas pretreatment in order for the ink to adhere. Do you provide this service?
Plasma gas pretreatment is no problem! We have plasma gas capabilities in-house.
How do I determine if my device requires pretreatment?
Working with your specific substrate, our engineering group will develop the appropriate process, combining pretreatment with the correct ink specification meeting your adhesion requirements.
Will you help me with the technical aspects of printing my device?
Absolutely. We’ve got the best technical experts in the industry. It’s safe to say that no one knows more about printing on medical devices than we do.
Will my device be printed in a rated clean room?
Our facility has a production floor that is Bio-Burden limiting and environmentally controlled. All customer product is handled by gowned employees, wearing bouffant caps and powder-free non-latex gloves.
What is your quality certification status?
CI Medical Incorporated is an ISO 9001:2015 registered company.
We are contemplating the purchase of a pad printer so that we can print our own products in house. Can you give me some reasons why this is NOT a good idea?
Sure. To be quite honest, there are very few instances where this kind of an investment is really cost effective. The whole idea behind outsourcing is to streamline your own operations and assign the specialized tasks to those who excel at it. Because we have spent more than 35 years developing techniques and investing in state-of-the-art equipment, our services have a lot of value already built into them. In addition to the learning curve, you would have to deal with the ongoing maintenance of the machine. You will also have to deal with OSHA and EPA issues surrounding the use of solvents and inks. If your product needs pretreatment, you will either have to buy another machine, or outsource it. CI Medical is totally self-sufficient. We will figure out the engineering and printing techniques, print your prototype, pretreat and print your device in full production runs and provide you with all the documentation you require.
