The bone plate bending template jaw body is the working half of the press or plier used to contour a reconstruction or trauma plate to the bone before fixation. It carries the forming profile. It also carries the plate locating slot and the pivot or press mounting. Moreover, it is cycled thousands of times against hardened plate stock. Fab-welded jaws lose their profile at the weld heat-affected zone and crack at the throat, while solid-machined jaws are costly to replace and leave a sharp corner at the plate slot. A one-piece investment casting forms the jaw profile. It also forms the plate slot and the mounting boss together. It also forms then machines the forming face and slot after heat treatment so every plate comes off the template with the same contour.
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Casting process | Silica sol lost wax investment casting with uniform section control through the jaw throat |
| Material options | AISI 420 hardened jaw body with 17-4PH (H1025) insert or wear pad on the forming face |
| Dimensional tolerance (ISO 8062-3 CT grade) | CT5 as cast; CT4 on the forming face, plate slot and mounting datums after machining |
| Machining | 5-axis CNC milling of the forming face, wire EDM of the plate slot, CNC turning of the pivot bore |
| Surface finish (Ra) | Ra 1.6 um machined on the forming face; Ra 0.8 um ground optional; Ra 3.2 um bead blasted elsewhere |
| Weight range | 90 g to 340 g per jaw depending on plate width and template format |
| Typical lead time | Tooling 4-5 weeks; first article 2-3 weeks after tooling; production 5-7 weeks |
Key features
- One-piece cast jaw removes the weld and its heat-affected zone, the point where fab-built template jaws lose profile and crack at the throat.
- AISI 420 body hardened to 48-52 HRC at the forming face holds the contour profile over thousands of plate bending cycles.
- 17-4PH H1025 wear pad at 32-38 HRC absorbs the shock of the press stroke, trading some hardness for the toughness that H900 lacks under impact.
- Plate slot produced by wire EDM after heat treatment, holding slot width within +/-0.03 mm so plates locate without rocking during bending.
- Cast jaw throat with a generous radius distributes the bending load, removing the stress riser that initiates cracks in square-machined throats.
- Mounting pivot bore and press datums machined in one setup, so the jaw installs on the plate bending press without shimming or hand fitting.
- First article with CMM report, hardness survey across the face and throat, furnace charts and slot gauge results before production release.
Applications
- Moreover, Reconstruction plate bending templates for maxillofacial and mandibular fixation sets.
- Generally, Pelvic and acetabular plate contouring presses and bending irons.
- Additionally, Locking compression plate bending pliers in trauma and small fragment sets.
- In general, Spinal and cervical plate contouring template jaws.
- Craniofacial and orbital mesh shaping fixtures.
- Also, Veterinary plate bending templates for small animal fracture repair.
Quality & compliance
Ningbo Ruican is not an ISO 13485 contract manufacturer. It supplies cast and CNC-machined components in 17-4PH (H900/H1025), AISI 420 and AISI 316L together with project-level documentation under the customer’s Quality Agreement, including material traceability and ISO 10993-5 biocompatibility test support. Each jaw release ships with EN 10204 3.1 material certification, heat lot records, hardening and tempering furnace charts, a hardness survey across the forming face and throat, and dimensional reports against the approved drawing. Non-conformance handling and change control follow the customer’s documented requirements rather than a claimed device QMS registration.
FAQ
Can you build the jaw from a sample template or bending iron?
Yes. Send the jaw, the mating template and the plate sizes it must form, and we reverse scan the forming face, rebuild it as a 3D model and return that model with a DFM review covering hardenability, draft and machining allowance. We confirm slot width and pivot datums against your drawing before tooling.
What is the minimum order quantity?
Prototype and pilot quantities are accepted from a single tooling set, and we add cavities once annual volume justifies it. Because jaws are normally supplied in matched pairs, we recommend quoting pairs so both halves come from the same heat lot and the same machining setup.
What documentation is supplied with each lot?
Each lot ships with EN 10204 3.1 material certification, heat lot records, hardening and tempering furnace charts, a hardness survey across the face and throat, and dimensional reports at the sampling rate in the Quality Agreement. Generally, first article packages add a full ballooned report and photographs.
Can you hold H900 or H1025 on the 17-4PH components?
We age 17-4PH components to H900 or H1025 in a calibrated furnace with load thermocouples and record the chart with the heat lot. H900 reads 38-42 HRC and H1025 reads 32-38 HRC; for bending jaws we normally recommend H1025 for its toughness under impact loading.
Do you passivate or electropolish template jaws?
Passivation per ASTM A967 is standard after grinding and final machining, with bead blasting to Ra 0.8 um as the common finish on gripped surfaces. Electropolishing to Ra 0.4 um is available where specified, and laser marking is applied last for legibility after sterilization.
CTA
Send your bone plate bending template jaw drawing, sample or 3D model for a DFM review, hardness recommendation and quotation. Contact Wendy She — sales@cnsandcasting.com — WhatsApp +86-13777124360, or visit https://cnsandcasting.com to start your contouring instrument program with Ningbo Ruican.
