Micro Silicone Mold Plunger Injection System for Punctal Plug Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing small medical devices like punctal plugs are inefficient and lack repeatability, leading to significant material waste and variability in drug delivery to the eye, which can result in suboptimal pharmacological effects and systemic side effects due to inefficient drug distribution.
Innovation Solution
A fully automatic, miniature silicone molding cell utilizing a novel silicone mold and plunger injection unit with a cold deck system that reduces material flow path volume and pressure fluctuations, ensuring consistent and precise injection of thermoset elastomer into the mold, thereby enhancing shot-to-shot reproducibility and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional injection molding methods are used for manufacturing small medical devices, then manufacturing capability is maintained, but manufacturing precision and repeatability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The injection molding system is divided into separate functional modules: a syringe pump unit for precise material delivery, a mold assembly with multiple cavities, and a control system. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's performance, particularly the syringe pump's ability to deliver consistent material volume and the mold's ability to receive and form precise replicates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical injection systems with a syringe pump-based delivery mechanism. This substitution enables more precise control over material flow rate and volume, directly improving shot-to-shot repeatability while maintaining productivity through automated operation.
2Loss of substance
If conventional manufacturing methods are used, then production capability is maintained, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The syringe pump is pre-loaded with a precise volume of injection material before each shot. This preliminary measurement and preparation of the exact required material amount ensures that no material is wasted during the molding process, as the pump delivers only the necessary quantity to fill the mold cavities completely.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic material recovery mechanisms where excess material is collected and reused in subsequent cycles. The syringe pump automatically replenishes material from recovered supply, creating a self-sustaining process that minimizes material loss without requiring manual intervention.
3Manufacturing precision
If eye drop administration is used for drug delivery, then drug delivery capability is maintained, but drug distribution efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the delivery parameters from conventional eye drops by using a punctal plug device that releases medication through controlled diffusion and osmosis. This parameter change in the delivery mechanism ensures consistent, sustained release of drug at therapeutic concentrations, avoiding the peak tissue concentration followed by rapid decline characteristic of eye drops, while minimizing systemic absorption and side effects.
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
The solution provides superior shot-to-shot repeatability and reduced material waste, improving the quality and consistency of punctal plugs, leading to more effective and reliable drug delivery to the eye with minimized systemic side effects.
Implementation Method 1
a plunger moveable within the micro plunger injection assembly housing and configured to drive the thermoset elastomer through the internal passageway of the cold deck nozzle assembly and the cold deck nozzle
Implementation Method 2
the cartridge assembly being connected to the cold deck nozzle assembly through a one-way check valve
Data Source
AI summary
A micro silicone mold mounted plunger injection system comprises a silicone cartridge assembly, a micro plunger injection assembly and a cold deck nozzle assembly. In this system, these three components are interconnected directly such that it has a greatly reduced material flow path length and diameter. The system is capable of displacing an amount of material in a single shot substantially equal to the desired shot weight required to make a component.