Grooved Resin Panel Circuit for Secure Flexible Tube Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing regenerative medicine manufacturing processes face challenges with tube assemblies in cell processing devices, including entanglement, complex handling, difficulty in visualizing attachment states, and risk of tubes separating due to vibrations or tension, leading to prolonged attachment times and potential work mistakes.
Innovation Solution
A panel circuit with a resin panel featuring first and second groove portions guides and secures flexible tubes, enhancing stiffness and reducing weight through vacuum forming, allowing easy and accurate attachment of tube assemblies to cell processing devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the tube assembly is attached to the cell processing device, then the production automation is improved, but the tube assembly becomes entangled and handling becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is divided into multiple groove portions (first groove portion for tube insertion, second groove portion for positioning) that separately manage different aspects of tube assembly handling. This segmentation allows the tube to be guided through specific paths while maintaining organization and preventing entanglement during automated operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel acts as an intermediary component between the tube assembly and the cell processing device. The grooves on the panel provide a structured interface that guides tube insertion and positioning, facilitating automated attachment while preventing entanglement through controlled geometry.
2Ease of manufacture
If the tube is fixed to the panel, then the mountability is improved, but the tube protrudes out of the panel surface causing entanglement or separation
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is nested within the groove structure of the panel. The first groove portion receives and secures the tube, while the second groove portion provides additional positioning. This nesting approach keeps the tube contained within the panel boundaries, preventing protrusion-related entanglement while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel uses a flexible resin material that can accommodate the tube within its groove structure. The flexibility of the resin panel allows it to conform to the tube while maintaining the groove geometry that prevents protrusion, balancing secure fixation with prevention of entanglement.
3Productivity
If the tube assembly is frequently attached and detached for single-use operation, then the regenerative medicine production efficiency is improved, but the risk of work mistakes increases due to difficulty in visualizing attachment state
Solution Approach 1:
The resin panel utilizes light transmittance properties to provide visual indication of the attachment state. The transparent or translucent nature of the resin panel allows operators to visually confirm proper tube insertion and positioning during frequent attachment and detachment operations, reducing work mistakes while maintaining high productivity.
4Weight of moving object
If the resin panel is made thin to reduce weight, then the device portability is improved, but the structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The panel incorporates multiple groove portions that segment the structural load paths. These grooves are strategically positioned to maintain structural integrity while minimizing material usage, allowing the panel to remain thin and lightweight while retaining sufficient strength for tube fixation and device operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The resin panel exhibits local quality variations through the groove portions that concentrate structural strength where needed (at tube insertion points) while maintaining thin overall thickness. The grooves create localized reinforcement zones that provide necessary strength without requiring the entire panel to be thick, thus reducing overall weight.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a panel circuit and a cell processing device capable of easily and accurately attaching a member including a flexible tube. A panel circuit includes a resin panel having a first groove portion on a first surface, and a flexible tube that is fitted into the first groove portion to be guided by the first groove portion. a portion of the second surface of the resin panel opposite to the first surface, on which the first groove portion is formed, protrudes from the other portion of the second surface, and the most part of the tube is fitted into the first groove portion.