Micro-fabricated Guidewire Elastomeric Laminate Cutting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current micro-cutting machines for producing catheters and guidewires lack precision, particularly in controlling small features and non-conductive materials, leading to inconsistent beam widths that affect safety and performance due to reliance on electrical conductivity and inability to handle non-conductive materials like plastic.
Innovation Solution
A dual-blade micro-cutting machine that uses imaging and electronic controllers to precisely control the cutting process, allowing for simultaneous cuts on both sides of cylindrical stock material, enabling the machining of a variety of materials including plastics and metals, and adjusting blade positions to achieve desired resultant beam dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electrical conductivity-based control is used for cutting, then the cutting process can be controlled, but non-conductive materials like plastic cannot be processed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical conductivity-based control system with an imaging-based control system. The imaging system detects the position and dimensions of the stock material mechanically/optically, allowing cutting control for both conductive and non-conductive materials including plastics and metals, thereby resolving the material compatibility limitation while maintaining cutting control reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an imaging system as an intermediary between the cutting blade and the stock material. This intermediary detects material properties and dimensions without relying on electrical conductivity, enabling the cutting process to handle diverse materials including non-conductive plastics while maintaining precise control through the imaging feedback loop
2Manufacturing precision
If single-blade cutting is used, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision of beam width is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single cutting operation into two separate cutting actions using two blades. Each blade makes a cut on opposite sides of the stock material, allowing independent control of each cut depth and position. This segmentation enables precise control of the final beam width by coordinating the two cuts, achieving manufacturing precision that would be difficult with a single blade while the dual-blade system remains relatively simple in structure
3Stability of the object's composition
If micro-cutting is performed to improve flexibility, then the beam width is reduced, but the torquability and structural integrity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different cut depths and patterns at different locations along the guidewire. The distal portion receives deeper or more frequent cuts to maximize flexibility where needed for navigation, while the proximal portion receives shallower or fewer cuts to maintain structural integrity and torquability for operator control. This localized variation in cut quality achieves the desired balance between flexibility and strength
Solution Approach 2:
The patent varies the cutting parameters (depth, frequency, spacing) along the length of the guidewire to achieve different mechanical properties in different sections. By changing the cut parameters from distal to proximal, the guidewire achieves a gradient of flexibility and strength, with the distal end being more flexible for navigation and the proximal end being stronger for torque transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A guidewire device comprising: a micro-fabricated elongated outer member having an outer surface and an interior surface forming a lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end; an outer elastomer laminate layer in contact with at least a portion of said outer surface; and an inner member disposed within a substantial portion of said lumen, and embodiments thereof.