Method for producing a medical instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12102294-B2
Application number	US-201816489206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2018
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

Methods of manufacturing a medical component include additively manufacturing a medical component at least in part by successive, layer-by-layer, selective exposure and associated successive, layer-by-layer, selective solidification of construction material layers made of a construction material solidifiable with an energy beam. The medical component is insertable at least partially into a body of a living being, and the medical component includes a channel structure that has a tubular channel through which a medium and/or at least one functional element can be passed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a medical component, the method comprising:
additively manufacturing, via powder based additive manufacturing, a medical component at least in part by successive, layer-by-layer, selective exposure and associated successive, layer-by-layer, selective solidification of construction material layers made of a powdered construction material solidifiable with an energy beam;
wherein the medical component is insertable at least partially into a body of a living being, and
wherein the medical component comprises a channel structure having one or more walls that define one or more channels, the one or more channels having a tubular configuration through which a medium and/or at least one functional element can be passed; and
smoothening a surface of the one or more walls at least in part by a fluid comprising abrasive particles flowing through the at least a portion of the one or more channels defined by the one or more walls;
wherein the channel structure comprises at least one branch point at which a respective one of the one or more channels branches into at least two channels;
wherein the one or more channels have a cross-sectional area that varies along a central axis of the one or more channels from a comparatively lager cross-sectional area to a comparatively smaller cross-sectional area;
wherein flowing the fluid through at least a portion of the one or more channels comprises flowing the fluid in a direction from the comparatively larger cross-sectional area to the comparatively smaller cross-sectional area; and
wherein the medical component is an endoscope.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
mechanically processing at least a portion of the one or more walls of the channel structure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of respective ones of the one or more channels extends in a linear manner and/or in a curved manner.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel structure comprises at least one junction at which a respective one of the one or more channels branches into at least one further channel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the medical component comprises
at least one handling element arranged or formed at a first free end of the medical component; and/or
wherein the medical component comprises a grasping element arranged or formed at a second free end of the medical component, wherein the grasping element is configured for grasping tissue of an object.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the one or more channels has an inner diameter of from 0.25 mm to 3 mm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the medical component comprises
at least one extension structure configured to cause extension of the medical component in a longitudinal direction; and/or
wherein the medical component comprises at least one compression structure configured to cause compression of the medical component in the longitudinal direction.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more channels comprises a permeation structure having openings configured to pass a medium from the one or more channels into a targeted portion of the body of the living being.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid comprises a gas.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the abrasive particles comprise hard mineral particles.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the hard mineral particles comprise corundum particles.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more channels comprises a plurality of channels communicating with one another at corresponding branch points or junctions.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more channels comprises a first channel and a second channel that are coaxially arranged relative to one another.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more channels comprises a plurality of channels that are arranged adjacent to one another and circumferentially about a central axis of the medical component.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the medical component comprises an introduction section that has an introduction opening for introducing the fluid into the at least a portion of the one or more channels.

16. A method of manufacturing a medical component, the method comprising:
additively manufacturing, via powder based additive manufacturing, a medical component at least in part by successive, layer-by-layer, selective exposure and associated successive, layer-by-layer, selective solidification of construction material layers made of a powdered construction material solidifiable with an energy beam;
wherein the medical component is insertable at least partially into a body of a living being,
wherein the medical component comprises a channel structure having one or more walls that define one or more channels and comprises at least one branch point at which a respective one of the one or more channels branches into at least two channels, the at least two channels having a tubular configuration through which a medium and/or at least one functional element can be passed;
wherein the medical component is an endoscope; and
removing material from the one or more walls of the at least two channels at least in part by a fluid comprising abrasive particles flowing through the at least two channels.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least two channels comprises a first channel and a second channel that are coaxially arranged relative to one another.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the at least two channels comprises a plurality of channels that are arranged adjacent to one another and circumferentially about a central axis of the medical component.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more channels have a cross-sectional area that varies along a central axis of the one or more channels from a comparatively lager cross-sectional area to a comparatively smaller cross-sectional area.

Assignees

• Wolf Gmbh Richard

Inventors

• Herzog Frank
• Thyroff Thomas
• Wehrheim Frank
• Lienhart Markus
• Reiswich Artur

Classifications

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• A61M25/0021

  characterised by the form of the tubing (A61M25/0054 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M2207/00

  Methods of manufacture, assembly or production · CPC title

• A61B1/00

  Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes of the body by visual or photographical inspection, e.g. endoscopes (examination of body cavities or body tracts using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/12; endoscopic instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/04); Illuminating arrangements therefor (for the eyes A61B3/00) · CPC title