Needle-Shaped Body Production Using Duplication Plate and Support Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of needle-shaped bodies with high aspect ratios using biocompatible resins is costly and requires complex processes, particularly due to the need for molds with inverted shapes and the difficulty in handling thin substrates during demolding and post-molding handling.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a duplication plate with recesses corresponding to the needle shapes, filled with thermoplastic resin, and a support member on the opposite surface to facilitate easy removal and reduce material usage, allowing for the production of needle-shaped bodies with a thin substrate and high aspect ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transfer molding process (injection molding, imprinting, or casting) is used to produce needle-shaped bodies with high aspect ratio, then mass production capability is improved, but production process complexity increases due to requirement of complicated molds with inverted shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional molding approach by using a duplication plate with convex protrusions that directly form the needle shapes, rather than using a mold with inverted recesses. This allows the needles to be formed as positive features during the molding process, eliminating the need for complex inverted mold structures while maintaining mass production capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The duplication plate is designed with multiple convex protrusions corresponding to individual needle shapes, allowing simultaneous formation of multiple needles in a single molding process. This segmentation of the molding surface into discrete functional zones enables efficient mass production without requiring complex multi-step molding procedures.
2Reliability
If biocompatible resins are used for needle-shaped bodies, then safety and biocompatibility are improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the substrate to a specific range (50-300 μm) that balances structural integrity with material usage. This parameter optimization allows the use of biocompatible resins while controlling production costs through reduced material consumption, achieving both safety and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The duplication plate serves as a reusable copy or template that can be used to mass-produce multiple needle-shaped bodies. This copying mechanism allows the expensive biocompatible resin to be used efficiently through repeated molding cycles, reducing the overall production cost while maintaining the required biocompatibility of the final product.
3Adaptability or versatility
If substrate thickness is reduced to enable flexible deformation, then adaptability to irregular skin surfaces is improved, but handling difficulty increases during demolding and post-molding processes
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a traditional mold with recesses that requires complex demolding procedures for thin substrates, the patent uses a duplication plate with convex protrusions that form the needles as positive features. This inverted approach allows the thin substrate to be easily handled and removed from the molding process, as the needles are formed on the surface rather than being cast from inverted cavities.
Solution Approach 2:
The support member is positioned on the substrate before molding to provide preliminary structural support during the formation process. This preliminary action enables the substrate to maintain its shape during handling and demolding, while still allowing it to flexibly deform to conform to irregular skin surfaces during actual use.
4Length of moving object
If needle height is increased to ensure sufficient penetration depth, then drug delivery effectiveness is improved, but aspect ratio increases making production more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the aspect ratio parameter by controlling the relationship between needle height and substrate thickness within specific ranges. This parameter optimization allows production of needles with sufficient penetration depth while maintaining an aspect ratio that is manageable for mass production processes, resolving the contradiction between effectiveness and manufacturability.
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 method enables the cost-effective production of needle-shaped bodies with a thin substrate that can pierce the skin effectively while being flexible and easy to handle, reducing material costs and simplifying the production process.
Implementation Method 1
forming the needle-shaped body by filling the thermoplastic resin into a duplication plate having recesses
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a needle-shaped body having needles on a first surface of a substrate made of a thermoplastic resin, the method including the steps of: forming the needle-shaped body by filling the thermoplastic resin into a duplication plate having recesses that correspond to shapes of the needles; providing a support member made of a material different from a material for the needle-shaped body on a second surface of the substrate which is opposite to the first surface; and removing the needle-shaped body and the support member which are integrally formed from the duplication plate.