Method of manufacturing for a medical instrument

{
  "publication_number": "US11090747B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Method of manufacturing for a medical instrument",
  "abstract": "A method of manufacturing a jointed device of a medical instrument includes providing a machining fixture on a wire electrical discharge machine having an electrical discharge wire. The fixture includes member holes each adapted to accommodate at least one workpiece, the workpiece being adapted to form a portion of the jointed device of the medical instrument. At least two workpieces each include a first workpiece and a second workpiece, accommodated within at least two member holes of the member holes. The fixture is associated with the wire electrical discharge machine so that the electrical discharge wire can cut at most one workpiece at a time. The machining fixture is rotated around a fixture rotation axis at a predetermined angle, which is chosen to provide that the electrical discharge wire can cut only one workpiece at a time. The workpieces are cut by the electrical discharge wire.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of manufacturing a jointed device of a medical instrument comprising the following steps: (A) providing a machining fixture and an electrical discharge wire, said machining fixture comprising a plurality of member holes, each of the plurality of member holes being adapted to accommodate at least one workpiece, said at least one workpiece being adapted to form at least one portion of said jointed device of said medical instrument; (B) providing at least two workpieces, comprising a first workpiece and a second workpieces, accommodated within at least two member holes of said plurality of member holes; (C) associating said machining fixture to the wire electrical discharge wire so that said electrical discharge wire can cut at most one of said at least two workpieces at a time; (D) cutting said at most one of said at least two workpieces by said electrical discharge wire; (E) after step (D), rotating the machining fixture around a fixture rotation axis of a predetermined fixture rotation angle, said predetermined fixture rotation angle being chosen to provide that said electrical discharge wire can cut said at most one of said at least two workpieces at a time; (F) after step (E), cutting said at most one of said at least two workpieces by said electrical discharge wire.",
    "2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined fixture rotation angle is equal to 90°.",
    "3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (D) is performed on a first cutting plane along a first cutting profile.",
    "4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step (F) is performed on a second cutting plane along a second cutting profile.",
    "5. The method according to claim 4, comprising the further steps of: repeating step (E); performing step (F) on a third cutting plane.",
    "6. The method according to claim 4, comprising, before the step (D), the further step of defining the first cutting profile in said first cutting plane.",
    "7. The method according to claim 6, comprising, before the step (E), the further step of: defining the second cutting profile in said second cutting plane.",
    "8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (D) comprises a substep of shaping said second workpiece differently from said first workpiece.",
    "9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (D) comprises a substep of shaping a portion of said second workpiece complementary to a portion of said first workpiece.",
    "10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (E) comprises a substep of shaping said second workpiece differently from said first workpiece.",
    "11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step (E) comprises a substep of shaping a portion of said second workpiece complementary to a portion of said first workpiece.",
    "12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step (E) is performed by a rotatable support table associated to the machining fixture.",
    "13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step (E) is performed while avoiding disassembling said fixture.",
    "14. The method according to claim 4, wherein said fixture rotation axis is orthogonal to both said first cutting plane and to said second cutting plane.",
    "15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of member holes have an orientation parallel to each other.",
    "16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said fixture rotation axis is parallel to the orientation of said plurality of member holes.",
    "17. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of performing a calibration.",
    "18. The method according to claim 4, comprising the further step of performing a calibration, wherein said step of performing the calibration is performed before defining the first cutting profile in said first cutting plane, and before defining the second cutting profile in said second cutting plane.",
    "19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said step of performing the calibration comprises a substep of measuring a distance between said first workpiece and said second workpiece along said first cutting plane or said second cutting plane.",
    "20. The method according to claim 4, wherein said fixture rotation axis is parallel to a line generated from an intersection of said first cutting plane and said second cutting plane."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/EP2016/074811, filed 14 Oct. 2016, which claims benefit of Serial No. 102015000062548, filed 16 Oct. 2015 in Italy and which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above-disclosed applications.\n\nThe present invention relates to a method of manufacturing for a medical instrument.\n\nIn particular, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing for a medical instrument comprising a jointed device.\n\nRobotic assemblies for surgery or microsurgery comprising multi-joint robotic arms terminating with surgical instruments are known in the field. For instance, document US-71553116-B2 discloses a robotic assembly for performing brain microsurgery under MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).\n\nThe adoption of robotic technologies can bring about great benefits, allowing both a high degree of miniaturization of the instruments and scaling the size of the movements in the operating field, hence eliminating the effect of physiological tremor and easing the manual task. For example, microsurgical procedures are carried out in several phases of the reconstruction of biological tissues, such as for example in the execution of blood vessel anastomosis, comprising small diameter vessels, and nerves. Such procedures are carried out to reconstruct anatomy after the occurrence of traumatic lesions or of lesions produced by surgical removal of tissue, to reattach limbs and to revascularize tissues, all performed in an open surgery set-up given the pre-existence of a superficial lesion.",
  "cpc": [
    "B23H 7/02",
    "A61B 17/00",
    "A61B 2017/00526",
    "A61B 2034/305",
    "A61B 34/30",
    "A61B 34/71",
    "A61B 34/72",
    "B23H 11/003",
    "B23H 2200/00",
    "B23H 2500/20"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61B 17/00",
    "A61B 34/00",
    "A61B 34/30",
    "B23H 11/00",
    "B23H 7/02"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Medical Microinstruments SpA"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Massimiliano Simi",
    "Giuseppe Maria Prisco"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-10-14",
  "publication_date": "2021-08-17",
  "grant_date": "2021-08-17",
  "priority_date": "2015-10-16",
  "application_number": "US-201615768520-A",
  "family_id": "55315636",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
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}