Medical Stapler Anvil with Hardened Chamfered Corners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anvils for medical staplers deform during heat treatment, leading to unstable inclination angles and potential issues with shaped staples not leaving smoothly.
Innovation Solution
The anvil features chamfered corners hardened by plastic working, eliminating the need for heat treatment and maintaining a constant inclination angle, allowing staples to be shaped and released smoothly without recess formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the anvil is hardened by heat treatment, then the bending strength is improved, but the anvil deforms and the inclination angle becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil is divided into two functional zones: the corner portions are hardened by plastic working to provide bending strength, while the body portions remain in the original state to maintain dimensional stability and inclination angle. This segmentation allows different parts to have different hardness levels suited to their specific functions.
Solution Approach 2:
Only the corner portions of the anvil are hardened by plastic working, while the body portions remain unhardened. This local quality approach ensures that hardness is applied only where needed for bending strength, preventing deformation in critical areas while maintaining overall geometric stability.
2Strength
If the anvil is hardened by heat treatment, then the bending strength is improved, but the shaping precision deteriorates due to recess formation
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil surface is segmented into hardened corner portions and unhardened body portions. The unhardened body portions do not form recesses during repeated shaping operations, maintaining consistent shaping precision, while the hardened corners provide the necessary bending strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The body portions of the anvil are kept unhardened to prevent recess formation and maintain shaping precision, while only the corner portions are hardened to provide bending strength. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between strength and precision.
3Strength
If the entire anvil is hardened, then the bending strength is improved, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into two stages: first, the anvil body is formed by stamping or casting; second, only the corner portions are hardened by plastic working. This segmentation simplifies the overall process compared to hardening the entire anvil, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining necessary strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic working process is applied locally only to corner portions rather than the entire anvil surface. This localized treatment reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process while still providing the necessary bending strength where required.
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 solution ensures stable shaping and smooth discharge of staples even after multiple uses, with improved bending strength and prevention of recess formation on the anvil surface.
Implementation Method 1
the corner is formed as a chamfered corner hardened by plastic working
Data Source
AI summary
[Problem] To rationalize production steps for a medical stapler.[Solution] An anvil (A): that forms a medical staple (3) supported in conjunction with a ram (5) in a medical stapler; sutures biological tissue; has dimensions corresponding to the formed peak section in the staple (3) after forming; and has a support section (11) that supports the crown (3b) of the staple (3), and a chamfered corner section (12) formed along both end sections in a direction along the crown (3b) of the staple (3) in the support section (11), which comes in contact with the crown (3b) when the supported staple (3) is formed and regulates a curved section thereof. The chamfered corner section (12) is cured by plastic working and formed.