Adjustable Blade Spacing Medical Knife Handle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical knives with two blades are limited by fixed blade spacings, requiring separate molds for different spacings, increasing manufacturing costs and reducing profitability, especially for disposable knives.
Innovation Solution
A medical knife design where the handle-constituting parts are connected by a flexible material and a thin hinge, allowing adjustable blade spacing through a spacing maintenance member with fitting protrusions and holes, enabling the same handle shape to accommodate various blade spacings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate molds are used for different blade spacings, then blade spacing variety is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is divided into two separate handle-constituting parts that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows the same handle components to be used for multiple blade spacings by simply changing the blade insertion positions, eliminating the need for separate molds for each spacing configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle-constituting parts are designed with universal functionality to accommodate multiple blade spacings. The same handle components can serve different purposes by adjusting blade positions, making the handle system multi-functional across various surgical applications requiring different spacings.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable blade spacing is implemented, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the handle into two separate handle-constituting parts, the design achieves adjustable blade spacing through simple assembly variations rather than complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms. Each part remains structurally simple, but their combination provides spacing versatility.
3Reliability
If disposable knives are used, then infection prevention is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The handle-constituting parts are designed as universal components that can be used across multiple disposable knife configurations. By making the handle parts multi-functional and compatible with different blade spacings, the number of unique components requiring manufacturing is reduced, thereby lowering overall manufacturing costs while maintaining disposable status for infection prevention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of medical knives with different blade spacings using the same mold, reducing manufacturing costs and improving profitability by allowing easy adjustment and assembly of blades, while maintaining handle stability during use.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the handle-constituting parts in the pair of handle-constituting parts is formed from a flexible material
Implementation Method 2
the connecting part is formed by a thin hinge
Data Source
AI summary
A medical knife that can be assembled with different blade spacings, provided with only one handle includes a pair of side walls on respective sides of the handle, at least in the forward portions of the handle the side walls being formed individually on different handle-constituting parts and a pair of blades separately mounted on the insides of these side walls; and the handle before being assembled to constitute a medical knife is configured such that the two handle-constituting parts forward of a connecting part can be spread apart and closed together, centered on the connecting part, and such that the spacing distance between the two side walls is adjustable.