Malleable Applicator Tip Cuttability and Shape Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical hemostatic applicators with malleable tips are difficult to cut to a desired length using nursing dressing scissors, limiting their customization and precision in minimally invasive surgeries due to the presence of a sturdy steel wire that cannot be easily cut.
Innovation Solution
A malleable applicator tip made of a deformable plastic material with a soft metal insert, allowing the tip to be cut to a desired length with nursing dressing scissors and shaped for precise positioning without collapsing, using materials like aluminum for the insert and a thermoplastic polyolefin-based polymer for the tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a sturdy steel wire is used in the malleable tip to retain configuration, then the tip can maintain its desired shape, but the tip cannot be cut with nursing dressing scissors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the insert from steel wire to a soft metal or alloy (such as aluminum, copper, or zinc) that has lower strength and hardness. This parameter change allows the insert to be cut with standard nursing dressing scissors while still providing sufficient structural support to maintain the tip's configuration when bent into shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining the soft metal insert with the plastic or polymer tube. The insert provides shape retention capability while the tube provides structural integrity and cuttability. This composite approach allows both functions—configuration retention and ease of cutting—to coexist in the same device.
2Manufacturing precision
If the tip is made malleable to be shaped into desired configuration, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the tip may collapse when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of a soft metal insert within a plastic tube provides both malleability and structural integrity. The soft metal insert allows the tip to be bent and shaped into desired configurations for accurate positioning, while the plastic tube maintains structural integrity and prevents collapse during bending and use.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic or polymer tube acts as a flexible shell that can be bent without collapsing. The tube's wall thickness and material properties are designed to provide sufficient flexibility for shaping while maintaining enough structural integrity to prevent collapse when the tip is bent into position.
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
Enables precise and customizable application of medical fluids by allowing the tip to be trimmed and bent in situ, maintaining its configuration for accurate placement without collapsing, thereby improving the ease of use and effectiveness in minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
A malleable applicator tip made of a deformable plastic material with a soft metal insert, allowing the tip to be cut to a desired length with nursing dressing scissors and shaped for precise positioning without collapsing
Implementation Method 2
using materials like aluminum for the insert and a thermoplastic polyolefin-based polymer for the tube
Data Source
AI summary
An applicator device for applying an agent to a target site with a malleable tip that can be cut to length with a pair of nursing dressing scissors or similar type of scissors and a malleable tip with a formable tube that that can be cut to length with a pair of nursing dressing scissors or similar type of scissors. The malleable tip is configured for passage of fluid therethrough and includes a malleable member. The malleable member is made of a soft metal that is strong enough to retain the shape of the tip after is has been bend into configuration, but soft and weak enough to be easily cut with a pair of nursing dressing scissors or the like.