Disposable Acetabular Reamer Flat Stock Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone cutting tools, such as acetabular reamers, are difficult to manufacture at low cost and often suffer from deformation and high production costs due to the complexity of forming hemispherical shapes, leading to high final costs and potential contamination issues from prior use.
Innovation Solution
A disposable reamer assembly comprising a press-formed, thin-walled cutting body with appendages connected at the center, which is mechanically affixed to a circular base, allowing for improved die forming and minimizing stress-induced deformation, enabling accurate cutting while being easily disassembled for partial disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If press-formed hemispherical reamers are made from flat metal stock, then the reamers can be manufactured, but severe working stresses cause deformation and warpage requiring complex expensive machinery
Solution Approach 1:
The reamer is divided into two separate components: a base component and a cutting body component. The cutting body is formed separately and then attached to the base, allowing each part to be manufactured independently with optimized processes that avoid the deformation problems of forming a complete hemispherical shell from flat stock.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting body is pre-formed with the desired hemispherical shape and cutting edges before being attached to the base. This preliminary formation allows for controlled shaping without the severe stresses that would occur if the entire hemispherical shell were formed from flat stock in a single press-forming operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex expensive machinery is used to minimize warpage, then manufacturing precision improves, but production costs increase making the tool non-disposable
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reamer into a base and a cutting body, the complex press-forming operation is eliminated. The cutting body can be formed using simpler, less expensive processes, and the base can be manufactured separately, allowing for low-cost production that enables disposable use.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmentation and simplified manufacturing process reduce production costs sufficiently to allow the reamer to be designed as a disposable tool. The cutting body with appendages can be mass-produced at low cost, making single-use economically viable and eliminating the need for expensive reconditioning or sterilization infrastructure.
3Strength
If the reamer is designed as a single integrated piece, then structural strength is maintained, but cleaning is difficult and cross-contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reamer is segmented into a base component and a cutting body component that can be separated. The cutting body, which contacts bone tissue, can be removed and disposed of after a single use, eliminating cross-contamination risk. The base can be retained and reused with a new cutting body attached, maintaining structural integrity while enabling disposable cutting elements.
4Ease of manufacture
If the cutting body is made as a thin-walled structure, then material usage is reduced and cost decreases, but the assembly may lack rigidity for cutting bone
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled cutting body is segmented from the base structure. The cutting body itself can be made thin-walled to reduce material usage and cost, while the base provides the necessary structural support and rigidity. When assembled together, the combination achieves both material efficiency and sufficient strength for bone cutting.
Solution Approach 2:
The reamer assembly combines the thin-walled cutting body with the base structure to create a composite system. The cutting body uses minimal material for its cutting function, while the base provides structural reinforcement, achieving overall rigidity without requiring the cutting body itself to be thick-walled.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3A
Figure 3B~3C
AI summary
A disposable reamer (10) is provided, made up of a base (12) and a thin-walled, perforated cutting body (14) of flat metal stock affixed thereto. The base and body may be molded together or assembled together in a mechanical manner. The body is optionally formed so as to comprise a plurality of appendages connected at a center so as to improve die forming of the body into a final desired shape while at the same time minimizing stress-induced deformation in the body.