Below you will find answers to commonly asked questions. If you have other questions that are not answered below, please feel free to email us at Sales@popperandsons.com. Check back often as we will be adding more questions/answers.
What is a needle?
How do you measure a needle's size?
What materials are needles made from?
Are needles tested for 'separation force'?
Are needles tested for leaks?
What is a blunt needle?
What is regular medical point?
Are needles passivated?
What are procedure needles?
Do you manufacture custom needles?
Do you manufacture disposable/plastic hub needles?
What are Animal Feeding/Gavage Needles?
What is the minimum order for custom needles and what is a typical delivery?
Can needles be coated to enhance durability and corrosion prevention?
What are Non Coring Needles? Non-Coring Septum-Penetration or Huber Style Needles?
What is a Stylet/Obturator?
What is a bevel?
How do you define needle length?
What is GG-N-196?
What is the difference between a French size and Gauge?
Can Popper needles be autoclaved?
What are malleable/annealed needles?
Is Popper ISO certified and are products CE-marked?
What are fine gauge needles?
Do you sell needles to individuals?
What is a needle?
A needle is a device that is made from two parts: a metal or plastic connector called a HUB and a stainless steel tube section which is attached to the hub. The stainless steel section can either be sharp or blunt.
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How do you measure a needle's size?
Needle sizes are typically referred to as 'gauge' size. A gauge denotes the outside and inside diameter of the stainless tube that is attached to the hub. Gauge sizes have an inverse relationship to their number e.g., a 30G needle (G=gauge) is much smaller than a 20G needle. For additional answers please go to the Needle Tubing FAQs section.
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What materials are needles made from?
Hubs are typically made from brass and are either chrome plated or electroless nickel plated. We also offer aluminum hubs (short runs only). Some of our products are made from stainless steel hubs as well (303 and 316). The tubing portion is made from 304 stainless steel and some products from 316 stainless steel.
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Are needles tested for 'separation force'?
Needles are manufactured and tested to withstand a pull-force test. In other words, the force required to separate the hub from the tube portion must exceed x lbs. Pull force requirements depend upon the gauge size of the needles: 9G-17G are tested to 20 lbs., 18G-20G to 15 lbs., 21G-22G to 10 lbs., 23G-24G to 8 lbs., 25G-27G to 5 lbs.
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Are needles tested for leaks?
Needles must be sealed in the area connecting the hub to the tubing portion. All Popper needles are tested for leaks and must pass a 45 psi water pressure test.
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What is a blunt needle?
A blunt needle has no sharp point. The tube portion is cut in a 90 degree angle.
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What is regular medical point?
Regular medical point (also known as 'lancet point') is the sharpest point available for hypodermic needles. The tubing portion is typically ground at a 15 degree angle creating a sharp cutting edge. An "A" bevel needle is ground at a 12 degree angle.
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Are needles passivated?
Passivation is a chemical treatment performed on stainless steel to remove any free irons on the material surface that could cause corrosion. All standard catalog needles are mildly passivated during our wash cycle. If additional passivation is required (to QQ-P-35C standards), a special order is required. Our wash system has been validated as meeting the Cleanliness,Limits of Acidity & Alkalinity & Limits for Extractable Metals per ISO 7684 (Sections 4,5,& 6). In addition, parts washed per our procedure have been tested as Pyrogen Free.
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What are procedure needles?
Procedure needles are manufactured for use in specific medical procedures. Examples of Popper procedure needles include: Anesthesia, Cardiology, Biopsy etc. Our line of procedure needles can be found in the Needles section.
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Do you manufacture custom needles?
Yes. Popper's custom needles division manufactures needles to customers' specifications. We can modify any of our standard needles or make a new needle to your specifications. Popper is also a leading OEM needles manufacturer and our needles are used in today's leading medical device solutions.
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Do you manufacture disposable/plastic hub needles?
The majority of our needles are made with metal hubs and are designed to be re-usable. Popper offers only one class of disposable needles, our Disposable Animal Feeding Needles. Plastic hub needles are manufactured on an OEM basis only.
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What are Animal Feeding/Gavage Needles?
Animal Feeding Needles (AFN), or as they are also commonly referred to as Gavage Needles, are needles with a stainless steel ball affixed to the tip of the needles. These needles are used to introduce food directly into the animal's stomach. The ball is designed to prevent accidental rupture of the asophogus. Popper manufactures both re-usable AFNs and disposable ones. Custom AFNs can be manufactured using the simple custom-AFN guide in our catalog.
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What is the minimum order for custom needles and what is a typical delivery?
For most custom needles our minimum order is 1 dozen (12 each) needles. Typical delivery for custom needles is 4-6 weeks. We also offer an expedite service reducing the lead-time to 2-3 weeks. Custom needles requiring special materials (non stock tubing) will experience lead-times of 8 weeks or more. Minimum quantity may also increase due to special-run requirements by tubing mills.
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Can needles be coated to enhance durability and corrosion prevention?
Yes. Popper offers a variety of coating options: Teflon coating to increase lubricity and isolate tubing from corrosive material,s Parylene coating, all of the above including electrical insulation, Ceramic-like coating (Our PSX coating series) similar to the above but with greatly enhanced durability of the coating.
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What are Non Coring Needles? Non-Coring Septum-Penetration or Huber Style Needles?
Non-Coring needles are sharp needles with the heel of the needle has been 'sandblasted' to minimize coring. Non-Coring-Septum-Penetration Needles feature a deflected point (the tip is raised above the centerline to minimize contact with tissue or media). Huber is a trademark of the Becton Dickinson (BD) company and Huber needles are identical to Popper's non-coring-septum-penetration needles.
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What is a stylet/Obturator?
A stylet or obturator is a solid rod, with a metal hub which is ground or "fitted" to match the bevel of the needle (called a matched-set). Stylets are introduced with needle to prevent cutting a "core" or "tissue plug." Stylets are also commonly used to 'clean' or free needles from any possible dirt or occlusion.
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What is a bevel?
A bevel is the angled surface formed on the tube when sharpened to make a needle point. A typical medical point consists of three bevels: The primary bevel which is the surfaced formed as a result of grinding the tube at a specific angle, and two side bevels which are secondary grinds on each side of the primary bevel to form a sharp needle point and cutting edge. For short bevel needles, the secondary bevels are ground on the under side of the flat bevel - these are called back-bevels. Bevel length is the longest distance of a bevel, measured from the tip of the needle to the most proximate area of grinding behind the heel. Side Bevel Length is measured between (1) the juncture of side bevel and the outside surface of tubing, and (2) the tip of the needle. Measured from the tip of the needle to the start of the bevel (heel of the bevel) in a line parellel to axis of cannula. A-Bevel = 12 degree point, B-Bevel =18 degree point, C-Bevel = 30 degree point.
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How do you define needle length?
A needle's length is the exposed portion of cannula measured from the junction with the hub and the tip of point. The overall needle length is the distance from the tip of the point to the end of the hub.
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What is GG-N-196?
Federal Specification Amendment-5, April 10, 1947 for needles, hypodermic and Luer syringes. Provides full details on needles and syringes.
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What is the difference between a French size and Gauge?
French is a unit of measure (similar to gauges) used mostly with catheters. 1 French equals .01312" diameter. Therefore, a 5 French catheter would be ..066" diameter.
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Can Popper needles be autoclaved?
All standard Popper needles are autoclavable. It is important to note that proper cleaning of needles prior to sterilization is crucial to maintaining a consistent cosmetic quality and preventing discoloration or other consequences of uncleaned needles. However, some discoloration of the metal may occur after numerous sterilization cycles.
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What are malleable/annealed needles?
Malleable/annealed needles feature a 'soft' tube that allows some manipulation/bending of the shaft. This process is achieved by 'annealing' the tubing prior to connecting the hub. All of Popper's needles are made from 304 stainless steel full hard tubing. Annealed/malleable needles can be ordered on a custom basis.
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Is Popper ISO certified and are products CE-marked?
Popper is ISO 9001:2000/13485 certified and most of our products are also CE-marked. Consult our catalog or call our customer service department for additional information.
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What are fine gauge needles?
Fine gauge needles are made from very fine stainless steel tubing. Popper's line of fine gauge needles include 30G-33G needles. These needles are used in delicate laboratory applications as well as in dermatology (Sclerotherapy). 32G-33G needles are shipped with a stylet wire to ensure the needle is free of occulusion.
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Do you sell needles to individuals?
As an FDA registered company, Popper sells medical needles only to professionals in the medical industry such as doctors, hospitals or authorized medical distributors. Our non-medical needles which are intended for non-human use are sold to research and laboratory professionals or distributors. As a matter of policy, Popper does not sell needles or syringes to individuals and we recommend that individuals requiring such devices obtain them from their physician.
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