Wire Electro-Erosion Blade Sharpening With Rotating Fixture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing miniaturized surgical cutting instruments, such as wire electro-erosion, face limitations in precision, repeatability, and the ability to simultaneously sharpen and shape blades, particularly for robotic surgery applications where miniaturization and high accuracy are crucial.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a wire electro-erosion process where a fixture mounted on a wire electro-erosion machine allows for the rotation of workpieces about a transverse axis, enabling both sharpening and shaping through cuts with a single cutting wire, minimizing movement and allowing for acute angles and precise edge formation without repositioning the workpiece.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If molding or deep drawing followed by grinding is used to manufacture surgical blades, then the blades can be produced with conventional techniques, but the miniaturization of the active part is limited and the process requires multiple steps with repositioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing operations (sharpening and shaping) into a single wire electro-erosion process. The cutting wire simultaneously performs both sharpening cuts and shaping cuts on the blade, eliminating the need for separate grinding operations and repositioning steps. This merging of operations resolves the contradiction by maintaining high precision while reducing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical grinding methods with wire electro-erosion. Instead of using abrasive grinding wheels that require complex repositioning and support fixtures, the invention uses an electrically conductive wire that erodes material through controlled electrical discharges. This substitution enables miniaturized blade production with high precision while simplifying the manufacturing process.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional wire electro-erosion is used without fixture rotation, then the process is simple, but the ability to create acute angles and precise edge formation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces rotational movement to the fixture holding the workpiece, transforming it from a static to a dynamic system. The fixture can rotate about a transverse axis during the wire electro-erosion process, allowing the cutting wire to create acute angles and precise edge formations by varying the relative orientation between the wire and workpiece. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by enhancing precision without requiring complex manual repositioning operations.
3Productivity
If multiple workpieces are processed separately with repositioning, then each workpiece can be individually adjusted, but the productivity and repeatability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the fixture and wire electro-erosion system to perform multiple functions: sharpening, shaping, and creating acute angles all in one setup. The system can process multiple sharp bodies from a single workpiece without repositioning, maintaining consistent precision through the universal capability of the rotating fixture and programmable wire path. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by increasing productivity while maintaining reliability through repeatable automated operations.
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 high-precision, miniaturized sharp bodies with acute angles, enhancing cutting performance and longevity, while maintaining economic sustainability for single-use surgical instruments, and allows for the creation of multiple sharp bodies from a single workpiece.
Implementation Method 1
A method for making one or more sharp bodies by wire electro-erosion
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing sharp bodies by wire electro-erosion includes providing a wire electro-erosion machine and a fixture mounted to the wire electro-erosion machine so that a portion thereof can rotate about a rotation axis which is transverse to a longitudinal extension of the cutting wire. At least one workpiece is mounted to the fixture. An edge to be sharpened of the at least one workpiece is sharpened by a sharpening through cut with the cutting wire on the at least one workpiece. The at least one workpiece is shaped by a shaping through cut with the cutting wire on the at least one workpiece. Between the sharpening and shaping, the portion of the fixture is rotated about the rotation axis thereof by a sharpening rotation angle other than 90°. The sharp bodies may be blades for a surgical cutting instrument for robotic microsurgery.