Endoscope Adhesive Curing at Low Temperatures via Alcohol Acceleration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adhesives for endoscopes face challenges in achieving quick curing at low temperatures and maintaining high resistance to repeated sterilization treatments, such as hydrogen peroxide plasma, while ensuring transparency and optical performance.
Innovation Solution
An adhesive composition including a bisphenol A, bisphenol F, or phenol novolac epoxy resin, a polyamine compound, and an alcohol compound, where the alcohol compound accelerates the curing reaction, allowing for quick curing at low temperatures and enhancing the transparency and sterilization resistance of the cured product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an adhesive is used to fix a member in producing an instrument subjected to high-temperature washing and a powerful sterilization treatment, then the adhesive can bond members together, but a decrease in performance of the instrument is likely to occur due to repeated use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite adhesive system combining epoxy resin with polyamine compound and alcohol compound. This composite formulation creates a cured product that maintains both physical stability and resistance to sterilization treatment, resolving the contradiction between reliability under sterilization and compositional stability.
2Reliability
If the epoxy adhesive is allowed to react in a relatively high temperature range to sufficiently increase the cure speed and the cure rate, then sterilization resistance is achieved, but a problem with a constituent member (precision device) occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the adhesive system by introducing polyamine compound and alcohol compound. This modification enables the adhesive to achieve sufficient cure rate and sterilization resistance at lower temperatures, resolving the contradiction between sterilization resistance and curing temperature requirements for precision devices.
3Reliability
If the cure rate (crosslink density) in a low temperature range is sufficiently increased to achieve the property of being less likely to degrade if subjected to a sterilization treatment, then sterilization resistance is improved, but the transparency of the adhesive joint deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical composition parameters by adding alcohol compound to the epoxy-polyamine system. This parameter change enables achieving high crosslink density and sterilization resistance while maintaining optical transparency, resolving the contradiction between sterilization resistance and transparency.
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 adhesive cures quickly at low temperatures, maintains transparency, and exhibits high resistance to repeated sterilization treatments, ensuring the endoscope's optical performance and durability.
Implementation Method 1
an alcohol compound, where the alcohol compound accelerates the curing reaction
Implementation Method 2
it is important to increase the compatibility between components constituting the adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an adhesive for an endoscope and a cured product thereof. The adhesive for an endoscope includes an epoxy resin including at least one of a bisphenol A epoxy resin, a bisphenol F epoxy resin, or a phenol novolac epoxy resin, a polyamine compound, and an alcohol compound. Also provided are an endoscope in which the cured product is fixed and a method for producing the endoscope.