Surgical Instrument Carrier Functional Component Gap Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical instruments with adhesively bonded components face issues with adhesive evaporation when current is passed, leading to potential damage and release of adhesive into the body during use, especially in bipolar instruments where electrical insulation is required.
Innovation Solution
Designing a surgical instrument with a carrier and functional component that bear directly on each other without gaps, eliminating the possibility of adhesive evaporation and ensuring a secure, adhesive-free connection, even under high coagulation currents, by using a wedge-shaped adhesive gap and spacers to maintain precise contact and minimize adhesive presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesive is used to bond the carrier to the functional component, then the components can be joined together, but the adhesive may evaporate when current is passed over the tool
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adhesive from the critical current path area by creating a gap between the contact surfaces where current flows. The adhesive is confined to non-critical areas away from the cutting edge, eliminating the risk of adhesive evaporation in the high-current zone while maintaining bonding strength in safe areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different bonding configurations to different areas of the tool: direct metal-to-ceramic contact without adhesive in the critical cutting edge area where current flows, and adhesive bonding in non-critical areas where current does not flow. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by protecting adhesive stability exactly where it is needed most.
2Strength
If adhesive is used to bond the carrier to the functional component, then the components can be joined together, but adhesive may leak and alter the shape of the transition area
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adhesive from the transition area geometry by confining it to specific non-critical zones. The gap design ensures adhesive is taken out from the cutting edge transition region, preventing any shape alteration while maintaining bonding in areas where adhesive presence does not affect precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies adhesive bonding only in specific local areas away from the critical transition zone. The contact surface design creates a clear separation between where adhesive is applied (non-critical areas) and where precise geometry is required (cutting edge area), thus maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving bonding strength.
3Adaptability or versatility
If current is passed over the tool during use, then bipolar coagulation function is achieved, but adhesive evaporation may occur and be released in the human body
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adhesive from the current path, creating a physical separation between the adhesive and the high-current zone. This ensures that when current passes through the tool for bipolar coagulation, the adhesive remains confined to safe areas and cannot evaporate or be released into the human body, eliminating the harmful effect while preserving the coagulation function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates different local conditions: the cutting edge area has direct contact surfaces with no adhesive for safe current flow and bipolar coagulation, while other areas have adhesive bonding for structural strength. This local differentiation allows the bipolar coagulation function to operate safely without adhesive release risks.
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 configuration ensures a reliable, secure bond between the carrier and functional component, preventing adhesive evaporation and maintaining the instrument's functionality and safety during electrosurgical procedures, while allowing for precise control of the coagulation path and minimizing the risk of damage.
Implementation Method 1
When current is passed over the tool during use of the instrument, this may cause evaporation of the adhesive along the cutting edge
Data Source
AI summary
In order to improve a surgical instrument having at least one tool comprising a carrier and at least one functional component adhesively bonded to the carrier, in such a way that the carrier can be easily and securely adhesively bonded to the functional component, whilst maintaining the desired function of the instrument, it is proposed that the carrier comprise a first contact surface, that the functional component comprise a second contact surface, and that the first contact surface bear on the second contact surface without any gap therebetween.