Microneedle Array Manufacturing Precision Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing microneedle arrays face challenges in accurately filling the needle-like recessed portions with drug solution, leading to reduced manufacturing yield due to deviations in landing position and adherence to the wall surface, which affects the filling of the distal end.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a drug solution ejection nozzle that ensures the drug solution lands on the needle-like recessed portion by adjusting the opening diameter, angle, ejection amount, and chamfering of edge portions, allowing the solution to flow into the center and fill the recessed portion effectively, with optional imaging for precise positioning and subsequent suction to ensure accurate filling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If liquid droplets are ejected at high speed to improve productivity, then production efficiency increases, but the landing position of the liquid droplet deviates from the needle-like recessed portion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming a liquid receiving portion (liquid pool) at the bottom of the needle-like recessed portion before droplet ejection. This pre-prepared liquid pool acts as a target zone that guides the droplet to the correct position even when ejection speed increases, thereby maintaining landing position accuracy while enabling high-speed filling.
2Measurement precision
If the needle-like recessed portion is filled with a very small amount of drug solution to achieve precise drug dosing, then dosing accuracy improves, but it becomes difficult to reliably fill the mold sheet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by creating a nested structure where the liquid receiving portion is nested within the needle-like recessed portion. The liquid pool is formed at the bottom of the recessed portion, creating a nested configuration that guides and contains the drug solution, ensuring both precise dosing and reliable filling.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid receiving portion (liquid pool) acts as an intermediary element between the ejected droplet and the needle-like recessed portion. This intermediary structure receives the droplet first and then guides it to fill the recessed portion completely, ensuring both accuracy and reliability in the filling process.
3Manufacturing precision
If the drug solution adheres to the wall surface of the needle-like recessed portion, then the solution cannot close the recessed portion, but increasing the solution amount causes overflow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by forming the liquid receiving portion as a curved, pool-like structure at the bottom of the needle-like recessed portion. This curved configuration reduces surface adhesion effects compared to flat surfaces, allowing the liquid to coalesce into a droplet that can completely close the recessed portion without adhering excessively to the wall surface, thereby achieving precise filling control.
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 method reliably fills the distal end of the needle-like recessed portion with the drug solution, improving the manufacturing yield of microneedle arrays by ensuring precise landing and collection of the solution, even at higher production speeds.
Implementation Method 1
a drug solution ejection step of ejecting a liquid droplet of drug solution from a drug solution ejection nozzle toward the needle-like recessed portion
Implementation Method 2
a suction step of applying negative pressure to the mold to cause the drug solution to be sucked into the needle-like recessed portion
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a method for manufacturing a microneedle array in which the distal end of a needle-like recessed portion is reliably filled with a drug solution. The problem is solved by a method for manufacturing a microneedle array, including: a positioning adjustment step of adjusting positioning of a mold having a needle-like recessed portion on a front surface, and a drug solution ejection nozzle which ejects a drug solution; a relative movement step of moving the mold and the drug solution ejection nozzle relative to each other to cause a position of the needle-like recessed portion and a position of the drug solution ejection nozzle to coincide with each other in a plan view in a direction parallel to an ejection direction of the drug solution; an ejection step of ejecting the drug solution from the drug solution ejection nozzle toward the needle-like recessed portion; and a suction step of suctioning a rear surface of the mold.