Rotating Wire EDM Fixture for Precision Jointed Medical Instruments
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical instrument manufacturing techniques face challenges in miniaturization due to friction issues, precision limitations, and inefficiencies in fabricating complex micromechanical parts, which hinder the development of reliable and sterile jointed medical instruments for precise surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a machining fixture on a wire electrical discharge machine that allows for precise cutting of workpieces on multiple planes without repositioning, using a rotating fixture to intersect the cutting wire with only one workpiece at a time, improving precision and efficiency in manufacturing jointed medical instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional manufacturing techniques are used for miniaturization, then smaller instrument dimensions are achieved, but friction forces increase and positioning precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical guiding channels with friction-prone surfaces with a magnetic field-based actuation system. Magnets embedded in the shaft interact with magnetic sensors to detect position and control articulation, eliminating the need for physical cable-guiding interfaces and their associated friction losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the actuation mechanism from mechanical cable tension to magnetic field interaction. This parameter change allows for contactless force transmission, eliminating friction between moving parts while maintaining actuation capability in miniaturized instruments.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex tendon guiding systems are added to reduce friction, then positioning precision improves, but device complexity increases and miniaturization becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates complex mechanical tendon guiding systems by substituting them with a magnetic actuation system. The magnetic field interacts directly with the articulation joints, removing the need for guiding channels, pulleys, and tensioning mechanisms that complicate the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the entire tendon guiding system from the instrument design. By using magnetic fields for actuation, the complex mechanical infrastructure required to guide and tension tendons is completely eliminated, simplifying the overall device architecture.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple cutting planes are used for manufacturing complex micromechanical parts, then manufacturing precision improves, but manufacturing time increases due to repositioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cutting plane operations into a single fixture setup. The fixture is designed with multiple angled surfaces that allow the wire EDM to cut complex three-dimensional micromechanical parts in one continuous process, eliminating the need to reposition the workpiece between orthogonal cuts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a rotational dimension to the cutting fixture, allowing the wire EDM to access multiple cutting planes by rotating the fixture to predetermined angles. This transforms a series of separate two-dimensional cutting operations into an integrated three-dimensional manufacturing process.
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 production of highly precise, reliable, and sterile jointed medical instruments with improved miniaturization capabilities, addressing the limitations of existing methods by enhancing precision and reducing manufacturing time while maintaining sterility.
Implementation Method 1
A method involving a machining fixture on a wire electrical discharge machine that allows for precise cutting of workpieces on multiple planes
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a jointed device of a medical instrument includes providing a machining fixture on a wire electrical discharge machine having an electrical discharge wire.The fixture includes member holes each adapted to accommodate at least one workpiece, the workpiece being adapted to form a portion of the jointed device of the medical instrument. At least two workpieces each include a first workpiece and a second workpiece, accommodated within at least two member holes of the member holes. The fixture is associated with the wire electrical discharge machine so that the electrical discharge wire can cut at most one workpiece at a time. The machining fixture is rotated around a fixture rotation axis at a predetermined angle, which is chosen to provide that the electrical discharge wire can cut only one workpiece at a time. The workpieces are cut by the electrical discharge wire.