Quality Needles Pvt. Ltd. (QN) was incorporated in 1983 and commenced production about 2 years later. Starting from a small factory shed of about 100 sq.m. area, it has grown steadily over the years and now stands on a total land area of around 3,200 sq.m. with a covered area housing the offices and manufacturing facilities of around 2,500 sq.m.

The Company has specialized in the manufacture of surgical suture needles and is thus a ‘single product’ company in a way. However, its production range covers a very wide range of products and some 2,000 different types and sizes of needles for a large number of diverse customers located all over the world are produced every year. Typically, the Company manufacturers approx. 40 million needles per year.

Quality Needles Pvt. Ltd. is certified as a ISO 13485/ISO 9001 from DNV Norway and manufactures needles to whatever specifications the customer may specify, including Eyed Needles to IS – 9165:1992 of the Bureau of Indian Standards, needles conforming to the German (draft) standard DIN:13170 and U.S. Federal Specification GGN 211 b.

Atraumatic needles are manufactured both of drilled-end and channel type, and are made from stainless steel to AISI 420 / Werkstoffnummer 1.4031 and maraging grade steel to AISI 455 & AISI 470.

The Product

Quality Needles manufactures a complete range of needles, extending from the smallest micro-needles for ophthalmic surgery to the largest post mortem needles; veterinary needles for animal surgery. QN also manufactures special needles including sternotomy needles, Cardiovascular Needles, Premium point Needles for plastic surgery, temporary cardiac pacing leads, cruciate needles etc. All needles manufactured are subjected to a rigid Quality Assurance protocol.

The grade of steel used is martensitic grade of stainless to German specification Werkstoff nr. 1.4031, equivalent to BS: EN 56D, JIS: SUS 420 J2 or AISI: 420. The selection of this grade is as per international practice for manufacture of superior quality suture needles. The steel wire is imported from some of the world’s best manufacturers, either from UK, USA or Japan. The composition is further restricted to ensure better hardenability and corrosion resistance of the needles. Close control of the metallurgical properties is achieved by hardening the needles in a controlled atmosphere muffle furnace, followed by tempering in a re-circulating type furnace. The hardness is controlled to VPN 525 – 625, which ensures adequate stiffness while eliminating brittleness.

All needle points are honed to ensure the highest standards of sharpness. The needles are polished to remove micro-asperities on the surface by a series of mechanical operations followed by electro-polishing. This reduces tissue drag to a minimum during the suturing operation. Needles are siliconised if so specified by the customer.