Micro-cutting Machine for Guidewire Diameter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current micro-cutting machines for producing catheters and guidewires lack precision in controlling small features, are limited to electrically conductive materials, and cannot accurately control the diameter of resultant beams, leading to safety and performance issues due to imperfections in stock material dimensions.
Innovation Solution
A micro-cutting machine with dual blades that can simultaneously cut both sides of cylindrical stock material, capable of precise control over resultant beam width and suitable for non-conductive materials like plastic, using imaging systems for real-time measurement and adjustment to ensure accurate cuts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single blade design is used in current micro-cutting machines, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision and reliability of controlling small features deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting system is segmented into multiple independent blades (at least two blades) that can be independently positioned and controlled. Each blade can be adjusted relative to the workpiece to create precise cuts, allowing the system to achieve high manufacturing precision while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular blade design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of control by allowing blades to be positioned at different locations and angles relative to the workpiece. This multi-dimensional positioning capability enables precise control of small features that cannot be achieved with a single blade, improving manufacturing precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If electrical conductivity sensing is used to determine stock material position, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to handle non-conductive materials deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediary sensing mechanism is introduced that does not rely on electrical conductivity. The patent employs optical or mechanical sensing systems as intermediaries to detect the position and characteristics of the workpiece surface, enabling the system to operate easily with both conductive and non-conductive materials alike, thus improving adaptability while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing parameter is changed from electrical conductivity to optical properties or mechanical surface detection. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to a broader range of materials including non-conductive materials like plastic, while maintaining the ease of operation through similar user interaction methods.
3Productivity
If pre-programmed cut depths are used, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision of resultant beam diameter deteriorates due to inability to account for stock material imperfections
Solution Approach 1:
A feedback mechanism is implemented where the system continuously monitors the actual position and dimensions of the workpiece during cutting. This real-time feedback allows the control system to adjust cut depths dynamically, maintaining high productivity while ensuring manufacturing precision by accounting for stock material imperfections and variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting system transitions from static pre-programmed depths to dynamic, real-time depth adjustment. The blades can be actively positioned at different depths based on actual workpiece conditions, allowing the system to maintain both high productivity and manufacturing precision by adapting to stock material variations during the cutting process.
4Ease of manufacture
If sequential opposing cuts are made to form resultant beams, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the manufacturing precision of beam width deteriorates because the beam width is not directly controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical sequential cutting process is supplemented or replaced with direct positioning control mechanisms. The patent employs optical or mechanical measurement systems that directly measure workpiece dimensions and feed this information back to control blade positioning, enabling direct control of resultant beam width while maintaining the ease of manufacture through automated cutting processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Polymer catheters and guidewires for use in intravascular surgery, and more particularly polymer catheters and guidewires micro-machined with a micro-cutting machine to provide sufficient flexibility to travel through a patient's vasculature while retaining sufficient torquability to transmit torque from a proximal end to the distal end of the catheter or guidewire, and methods of producing the same.