Implant Head Part Assembly with Preloaded Sealing Rings
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of implantable medical device head parts with blind hole-like recesses requires complex assembly measures to achieve a fluid-tight and electrically insulated connection between conductive contact ring elements and insulating sealing rings, which is time-consuming and costly, especially for large quantities, and often necessitates manual dexterity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a rod-shaped assembly tool where electrically conductive contact ring elements and elastically deformable sealing rings are threaded in alternating order, joined with a non-positive force, and secured using adjustable fastening means to create a fluid-tight and annularly force-loaded connection, which is then coated with a biocompatible casting compound to form a dimensionally stable matrix.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If complex assembly measures are used to achieve fluid-tight and electrically insulated connection between contact ring elements and sealing rings, then manufacturing quality and fluid tightness are improved, but production time and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing rings are pre-compressed between the contact ring elements using a compression element before final assembly into the head part. This preliminary compression action ensures the fluid-tight seal is already established during assembly, eliminating the need for complex post-assembly sealing measures and reducing production time while maintaining high manufacturing quality
Solution Approach 2:
A compression element is introduced as an intermediary component between the contact ring elements and the sealing rings. This compression element applies and maintains the necessary compressive force on the sealing rings, ensuring fluid-tight connections without requiring complex assembly tools or manual dexterity, thus improving both quality and productivity
2Reliability
If complex assembly measures are used to secure alternating sequence of contact ring elements and sealing rings, then fluid tightness is improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing rings are pre-compressed between the contact ring elements using a compression element before final assembly into the head part. This preliminary compression action ensures the fluid-tight seal is already established during assembly, eliminating the need for complex post-assembly sealing measures and reducing production time while maintaining high manufacturing quality
Solution Approach 2:
A compression element is introduced as an intermediary component between the contact ring elements and the sealing rings. This compression element applies and maintains the necessary compressive force on the sealing rings, ensuring fluid-tight connections without requiring complex assembly tools or manual dexterity, thus improving both quality and productivity
3Strength
If manual assembly with considerable dexterity is used to join contact ring elements and sealing rings, then joining force and seal quality are improved, but productivity and ease of manufacture deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A compression element is introduced as an intermediary component between the contact ring elements and the sealing rings. This compression element applies and maintains the necessary compressive force on the sealing rings, ensuring fluid-tight connections without requiring complex assembly tools or manual dexterity, thus improving both quality and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical assembly process requiring considerable dexterity is replaced by a systematic compression mechanism. The compression element, combined with a distribution element, automatically distributes and applies the necessary joining force during assembly, eliminating the need for skilled manual operation while maintaining high joining forces and production efficiency
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 method significantly reduces production time and costs while maintaining high manufacturing quality and fluid tightness, enabling efficient assembly of both individual and large quantity head parts with reproducible and adjustable joining forces, thus extending the service life of the head parts.
Implementation Method 1
an electrically insulating, elastically deformable sealing ring are joined to one another in a force-locking manner under axial joining force
Implementation Method 2
coated with a biocompatible casting compound to form a dimensionally stable matrix
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a head part of an implantable medical device, comprising a head part housing that has a blind-hole-type recess along which, in a coaxial arrangement and in an an axially serial sequence, at least one electroconductive contact ring element and an electrically insulating, elastically deformable sealing ring, are non-positively joined to each other by an axial joining force, the at least one contact ring element and the at least one sealing ring being arranged along a rod-shaped assembly tool and non-positively joined to each other along the rod-shaped assembly tool by a joining force produced, and at least the at least one non-positively joined contact ring element arranged along the rod-shaped assembly tool and the at least one sealing ring are covered by a solidifiable sealing compound present in a flowable form. The method is characterised in that the joining force is produced between the at least one contact ring element and the sealing ring along the assembly tool by means of fixing means applied to the at least one contact ring element and sealing ring along the assembly tool, on both sides, at least one fixing means of which is fixed to the assembly tool in an axially movable and detachably axially fixed manner and is embodied in the form of a nut with an internal thread, which is brought into engagement with an external thread provided along the assembly tool, such that the fixing means embodied in the form of a nut is non-positively brought into engagement, on one side, generating a joining force, with the at least one contact ring element or sealing ring by relative rotation along the external thread of the assembly tool, and such that the rod-shaped assembly tool is detached and removed from the at least one contact ring element and the at least one sealing ring after the solidification of the sealing compound which mechanically supports the axial joining force in the form of a dimensionally stable matrix forming at least part of the head part housing.