Expandable Balloon Mold With Concave Debris Collection Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expandable balloons for medical-surgical applications are limited to cylindrical convex shapes and lack functionality for collecting and removing debris or material from lumens, such as blood vessels, during procedures like sclerosing treatments.
Innovation Solution
A mold and method for producing an expandable balloon with a concave portion, featuring a die with a protrusion and tapered surface, allowing the balloon to form a concave shape that can collect material from lumens by advancing inside the vessel with the concave portion facing the direction of advancement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional cylindrical convex balloon shape is used, then the manufacturing process is simple and reliable, but the balloon cannot collect or remove debris from lumens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional convex balloon shape by introducing a concave portion that faces the direction of advancement. This inverted geometry allows the balloon to collect debris in its path while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process using a mold with a protrusion that forms the concave shape.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a concave portion is added to the balloon, then debris collection capability is improved, but the mold design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is segmented into two main parts: a die with a protrusion that forms the concave portion, and a counter-die that forms the convex portion. This segmentation allows each component to be designed and manufactured separately, reducing overall complexity while achieving the desired concave balloon shape with debris collection capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the balloon shape is changed from cylindrical to concave, then targeted drug delivery is enhanced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The concave portion is pre-formed during the balloon manufacturing process using a mold with a protrusion. This preliminary formation of the concave shape ensures consistent geometry and precision without requiring additional post-processing steps, thereby maintaining manufacturing feasibility while achieving targeted drug delivery capability.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
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AI summary
Mold (100) for forming an expandable balloon (105) suitable for medical-surgical applications comprising a die (110) and at least one counter-die (131), in which the die (110) comprises a first wall (111) at least partially delimiting a concave portion (112) of a mold cavity (113); said first wall (111) comprising: a protrusion (114) adapted to project cantilevered in said mold cavity (113) forming a free protrusion end (115) and a protrusion root (116) opposite said free end; a mold tapered surface (117) tapering as it approaches said protrusion root (116), in which the protrusion (114) and the first tapered surface (117) are made in a single piece, wherein said counter-die (131) at least partially delimits a convex portion (132) of said mold cavity (113).