Blood Pump Outer Sleeve Casting for Smaller Motor Diameter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intravascular blood pumps face challenges with large diameters due to thick plastic housings, which increase heat insulation and risk kinking, and require costly, time-consuming injection molding processes that limit production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method of manufacturing intravascular blood pumps using an outer sleeve to form the housing, with stator components fixed inside by a casting compound, eliminating the need for expensive molds and reducing the outer diameter while ensuring corrosion protection and efficient heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the stator parts are encapsulated in a thick plastic housing using injection molding, then corrosion protection is improved, but the diameter of the pumping device increases and heat dissipation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate sections: a first housing section formed by injection molding that provides corrosion protection for the stator components, and a second housing section that completes the motor housing. This segmentation allows each section to have optimized thickness and function, reducing the overall diameter while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrosion protection function is extracted from the entire housing and concentrated in the first housing section that directly contacts the stator components. This allows the second housing section to be thinner, reducing the overall diameter while maintaining adequate corrosion protection where it is most needed.
2Reliability
If the stator parts are encapsulated in a thick plastic housing using injection molding, then corrosion protection is improved, but heat dissipation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into a first section for corrosion protection and a second section for completing the motor housing. This allows the first section to be thicker for protection while the second section can be optimized for heat dissipation, reducing overall heat insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrosion protection function is extracted and localized to the first housing section, allowing the second housing section to have reduced thickness that improves heat dissipation from the motor components.
3Reliability
If a vacuum injection molding process is used to encapsulate the stator parts, then corrosion protection is improved, but production time increases and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing formation is segmented into two separate injection molding steps, each using a dedicated mold. This allows parallel production processes where multiple molds can work simultaneously, reducing the overall production cycle time compared to a single complex vacuum molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum atmosphere requirement is extracted from the process by using two separate injection molding processes that do not require vacuum. This eliminates the time-consuming vacuum setup and curing steps while maintaining adequate corrosion protection through the first housing section.
4Reliability
If a vacuum injection molding process is used to encapsulate the stator parts, then corrosion protection is improved, but the number of molds required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing formation is segmented into two separate injection molding processes, each requiring its own mold. While this divides the process, it allows for simpler individual molds that can be manufactured more easily and maintained more readily than a single complex vacuum mold.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum molding requirement is extracted and replaced with two standard injection molding processes. This eliminates the need for expensive, complex vacuum molds while achieving adequate corrosion protection through the first housing section's design.
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
The method allows for smaller pump dimensions, improved heat transfer, reduced risk of kinking, and cost-effective mass production with enhanced motor efficiency and corrosion resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a casting compound, such as a polymer material, in particular a resin like epoxy, is then injected into said interspace via the molding base to fix the stator components inside
Implementation Method 2
An outer sleeve is then placed on the molding base, and thereby over the other stator components already placed on the molding base, to thereby form at least a portion of an outer surface of the blood pump
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular blood pump comprises a pumping device including an impeller and an electric motor for driving the impeller. A rotor of the electric motor is rotatable about an axis of rotation and coupled to the impeller so as to be able to cause rotation of the impeller. An outer sleeve forms a casing of the pumping device, wherein stator components are fixed inside the outer sleeve by means of a casting compound. In a method of manufacturing the blood pump the stator components are placed on a molding base, including the outer sleeve to thereby form an interspace between the molding base and the outer sleeve in which the stator components are disposed. The casting compound is then injected into the interspace via the molding base to fix the stator components inside the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve preferably comprises a magnetically conductive material to form a yoke of the electric motor.