Urisheath Double-Action Strip for Even Unrolling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Unrolling external urinary catheters, or urisheaths, is challenging for users with poor dexterity and hospital staff wearing protective gloves, often resulting in uneven unrolling and adhesive issues.
Innovation Solution
A thin, double-action strip is injection-molded in liquid silicone, allowing even unrolling without touching the adhesive, with attachment zones of lower tear strength for easy separation, and a handle for easy gripping, facilitating automated production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single strip is used to assist sheath application, then the sheath can be unrolled, but the unrolling is uneven and difficult to hold with poor dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The single strip is divided into two separate strips that run parallel down either side of the sheath. This segmentation allows both strips to pull evenly on opposite sides of the sheath during unrolling, preventing uneven roll and improving control for users with poor dexterity.
2Ease of operation
If the sheath adhesive is touched during application, then the sheath can be positioned, but the protective gloves stick to the adhesive
Solution Approach 1:
The two parallel strips serve as intermediaries that allow users to grip and manipulate the sheath without directly touching the adhesive surface. By pulling the strips, users can unroll and position the sheath while keeping their fingers (and protective gloves) away from the adhesive, preventing sticking.
3Ease of manufacture
If the strip is attached manually by skilled operators, then the strip can be attached to the sheath, but the production cost is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment of the two strips to the sheath is combined into a single injection molding process. The strips are molded directly onto the sheath body in the desired configuration, eliminating the need for separate manual attachment operations and significantly reducing production costs while maintaining precise positioning.
4Productivity
If automation of strip attachment is attempted, then production cost may be reduced, but the process becomes very costly and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment process is merged with the main injection molding operation. By integrating the strip attachment into the single-shot or two-shot molding process, the need for separate automation equipment is eliminated, achieving cost-effective production without complex automated attachment systems.
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
Enables users with reduced dexterity to apply urisheaths independently and ensures a leak-proof seal, improving user experience and reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
By using an injection-molding machine, the wall thickness of the product may be controlled very precisely by the design of the cavity of the injection-molding machine. Thus, a thin-walled product of high quality can be produced by this method.
Implementation Method 2
The solution to this problem is to injection mould the strip in liquid silicone in the silicone injection moulding process for the urisheath
Data Source
AI summary
The urisheath provided here includes an element of thin material (a strip) that allows at least two lengths of it to run in a parallel fashion down either side of the sheath. The is obtained by injection molding the strip in liquid silicone in the silicone injection molding process for the urisheath, either by one, two or more component injection molding. The injection molding takes place in an injection molding form for a urisheath with a cavity for the body portion and a cavity for the strip portion wherein the cavity for the body portion is connected to the cavity for the strip portion creating an attachment zone between the strip and the sheath.