Hernia Mesh Plug Fabrication Minimizing Material Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
The hernia plug industry faces significant material wastage and increased costs due to the use of expensive, high-quality mesh materials, as existing manufacturing methods discard substantial amounts of mesh fabric when cutting out circular and filler layers from rectangular sheets.
Innovation Solution
A method of cutting surgical mesh fabric into conical plug bodies and dog-bone shaped filler pieces from a single sheet, with the filler pieces attached by welding, minimizing waste and reducing fabrication time and labor, allowing the entire sheet to be utilized with minimal material loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional cutting methods are used to cut circular and filler layers from rectangular mesh sheets, then the required shapes are obtained, but significant material wastage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh sheet is divided into multiple functional zones with different cut patterns. Circular cutouts are made for plug bodies in certain zones, while petal-shaped cutouts are made for filler layers in other zones. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized for its specific purpose, minimizing overall waste while maintaining shape accuracy for each component type.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional 2D circular cutouts to 3D conical plug bodies by folding and welding the circular mesh pieces. This dimensional transformation allows the flat mesh material to become a three-dimensional structure that provides both the required shape and structural functionality, reducing the need for additional filler material.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate cutting processes are used for plug bodies and filler layers, then shape accuracy is maintained, but fabrication time and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple cutting operations into a single integrated process. Both the circular plug body cutouts and the petal-shaped filler layer cutouts are produced from the same mesh sheet in one continuous operation. This merging of processes maintains cutting accuracy while dramatically reducing fabrication time and labor requirements compared to separate cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh sheet serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides material for both plug bodies and filler layers, acts as a unified source for all components, and enables a single cutting process to produce multiple different shapes. This multi-functionality increases productivity while maintaining the precision needed for different component geometries.
3Reliability
If expensive high-quality mesh materials are used, then superior prosthesis qualities are achieved, but overall cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the cutouts from traditional circular shapes to optimized patterns including petal-shaped filler layers. This parameter change increases the utilization rate of expensive mesh material, allowing more components to be produced from each sheet while maintaining the high quality and reliability of the prosthesis.
Solution Approach 2:
The prosthesis uses a composite structure combining plug bodies and filler layers made from the same high-quality mesh material. This composite approach ensures consistent material properties throughout the device while maximizing the use of expensive mesh material, reducing overall cost without compromising reliability.
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
This approach reduces material wastage and fabrication time, enabling the use of more expensive mesh materials efficiently while maintaining structural integrity and flexibility for hernia repair, providing a cost-effective and effective hernia plug solution.
Implementation Method 1
The filler pieces are cut from the same sheet of material as hour-glass (or dog-bone) shaped pieces from the material between adjacent circular plug body pieces so as to leave virtually no wasted material from a rectangular sheet... The filler pieces are attached to the plug body by welding.
Data Source
AI summary
Implantable prostheses for reinforcing and repairing defects in a muscular or tissue wall and a method for fabricating the prostheses that minimizes wasted mesh material and reduces the labor and time required for fabrication. The prosthesis may include a plug body formed of surgical mesh material having a closed end, a larger open end, and a cavity extending therebetween, and a filler body formed of the surgical mesh material comprising a plurality of petals extending radially outwardly from and spaced laterally about a common base disposed in the plug body with the common base attached to the closed end of the plug body. The plug bodies are cut as circular pieces, and the filler bodies are cut as hour-glass shaped pieces from the same sheet of material so as to leave virtually no wasted mesh material. The filler pieces may be attached to the plug body piece by welding.