Resin Medical Device Surface Blasting Against Solvent Cracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices made of resin materials are prone to solvent cracks due to uniform orientation of fibrils, which break and grow into cracks during cleaning, disinfection, or sterilization processes.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method involving first blasting with alundum and subsequent blasting with glass beads is applied to change the orientation of fibrils on the resin surface, thereby preventing solvent cracks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If resin material is used for medical device, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to solvent crack occurrence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies blasting treatment to the resin surface before the resin is exposed to medical agents. This preliminary action creates a modified surface layer with changed fibril orientation and reduced voids, preventing solvent cracks from forming during subsequent cleaning or sterilization processes. The surface modification is performed in advance to eliminate the reliability issue without changing the bulk resin material.
2Manufacturing precision
If fibril orientation is uniform, then manufacturing precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to solvent crack propagation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a localized surface layer with different fibril orientation characteristics compared to the bulk resin. The blasting treatment modifies only the surface region, creating a gradient structure where the surface has randomized fibril orientation (improving reliability) while the interior maintains uniform manufacturing precision. This local modification resolves the contradiction between manufacturing precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the fibril structure by creating a surface layer with randomized orientation different from the uniform interior. This asymmetric structure, achieved through blasting, prevents the symmetric crack propagation that occurs in uniformly oriented resins, thereby improving reliability without compromising the overall manufacturing precision of the device.
3Reliability
If medical agent is applied for cleaning or sterilization, then hygiene is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to fibril breakage and solvent crack formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of medical agents (which cause fibril breakage and solvent cracks in conventional resins) into a beneficial outcome by pre-modifying the resin surface. The blasting treatment creates a surface structure that is resistant to medical agent attack, so that the same cleaning and sterilization processes that would normally harm the device now safely maintain hygiene without causing damage.
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 effectively suppresses the occurrence of solvent cracks by altering the fibril orientation and crushing voids, enhancing the durability of the medical devices.
Implementation Method 1
performing first blasting on an outer surface that is included in the medical device and is made of a resin material to change an orientation of a fibril of the resin material
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of manufacturing a medical device that is repeatedly used by performing cleaning, disinfection, or sterilization using a medical agent. The method includes: performing first blasting on an outer surface that is included in the medical device and is made of a resin material to change an orientation of a fibril of the resin material.