TUBING TALKS
Technical challenge: Creating articulated medical instruments Articulating instruments that include metal tubing offer more bend, flex and reach – and thus more freedom for surgeons who require minimally invasive tools for minimally invasive procedures.
ILT tube laser cutting machine
Image courtesy of Micro
Steve Jacobsen | Micro |
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Medical Design & Outsourcing
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The ability to grasp different angles, degrees and rotations is not typically easy with straight, rigid medical instruments. Articulating instruments, especially as it relates to their tubing parts, can offer better access to difficult-to-reach areas for tip and positioning control. They also provide surgeons with more natural dexterity when operating through small incisions and offer support when their shoulders, arms and hands grow fatigued. Adding functionality to instruments with tubing means that greater attention to detail is necessary during design planning, especially before development, to avoid challenges and pitfalls. That’s why design for manufacturability, or designing products so that they’re easy to make, is extremely important. DFM allows potential problems to be identified and addressed during the design phase, which can save money and wasted resources in the long 7 • 2018
run. Product design engineers many times find themselves facing a dilemma, from cost, time or other factors, and dismiss manufacturing considerations – which could prove detrimental in producing the parts. Here are some challenges to keep in mind when laser-cutting metal tubing to achieve articulation. It’s possible to rectify all of these in the design phase, before a first build. 1. Cutting approach There are advantages and disadvantages to the laser-cutting or machine-cutting of metal tubes, including application requirements, cost-effectiveness and production capabilities. With articulating instruments (which involve shaping and forming materials, including milling and drilling), there can be a considerable cost involved if errors in design are missed and not addressed early on.
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
7/19/18 1:27 PM