Microstructured Nozzle Moulding via Semiconductor Master
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing microstructured nozzles are limited by material breakages during high-speed diamond circular sawing, leading to unwanted cross-sectional changes and size constraints due to the use of silicon wafers, which hampers mass production and nozzle quality.
Innovation Solution
The use of plastic materials for nozzle production, specifically through a moulding process with a metal moulding tool featuring complementary microstructures, allows for cost-effective and rapid production of large quantities, utilizing semiconductor technology for high precision and reproducibility, and magnetic retention for tool durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-speed diamond circular sawing is used to divide silicon wafers into individual nozzles, then production speed is improved, but material breakages occur on side walls and edges leading to unwanted cross-sectional changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from silicon to plastics, which fundamentally alters the interaction with the cutting process. Plastics materials can be divided by sawing without the brittle fracture characteristics of silicon, thereby maintaining geometric precision while enabling high-speed production. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting a material whose mechanical properties are compatible with both high-speed cutting and geometric fidelity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a moulding process to create nozzles from plastics, which allows for rapid reproduction of the nozzle geometry. The moulding approach enables high-speed production without the precision loss associated with sawing silicon, as each nozzle is formed directly in its final shape rather than being cut from a larger substrate. This eliminates the sawing step entirely, resolving the contradiction between speed and precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If silicon wafers are used as starting material for nozzle production, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but size of batch is limited by the size of conventionally obtainable silicon wafers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the production process into two independent stages: first, creating a master model with precise microstructures using semiconductor technology on a small silicon wafer; second, using this master to produce unlimited quantities of nozzles through moulding in plastics. This segmentation allows the precision-critical step to be performed on small substrates while the quantity-critical step to be performed without substrate size limitations, thereby resolving the contradiction between precision and batch size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a master model containing the precise microstructure geometry, then uses this master to produce copies of the nozzle geometry in plastics material through moulding. The copying process allows unlimited replication of the precise geometry without being constrained by the size of the original silicon wafer, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining geometric precision and achieving large batch sizes.
3Productivity
If a moulding process with metal moulding tool is used for nozzle production, then productivity and cost-effectiveness are improved, but tool wear and durability concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite tool structure where a precisely structured master model (made from silicon or other durable material using semiconductor technology) is combined with a moulding tool. The master model contains the microstructures and is used to create metal copies through electrodeposition, which then serve as the actual moulding tools. This composite approach allows the critical precision elements to be made from highly durable materials while enabling mass production through plastics moulding, resolving the contradiction between productivity and tool durability.
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 approach enables the efficient and cost-effective production of high-quality microfluidic components with improved durability and scalability, reducing material waste and size limitations, thus enhancing the suitability of nozzles for mass production and medical formulation administration.
Implementation Method 1
the microstructures of the nozzle are produced at least in part in a moulding process... a moulding tool is used, which has a microstructure preferably of metal complementary to the microstructures in the microfluidic component to be produced
Implementation Method 2
magnetic retention for tool durability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a nozzle for use in a device for administering a liquid medical formulation, to a method for producing the nozzle in the form of a microfluidic component and to a tool for producing microstructures of the microfluidic component. The nozzle is formed by a plastics plate with groove-like microstructures which are covered by a plastics cover on the longitudinal side in a fixed manner. The production method includes a moulding process in which a moulding tool is used, which moulding tool has complementary metal microstructures which have been produced from a semiconductor material in an electrodeposition process by means of a master component.