Ultrasonic surgical instrument with AD HOC formed blade

• Main Author: Conlon, Sean P
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.04.2019
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; CASTING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; DIAGNOSIS; ELECTROTHERAPY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; MACHINE TOOLS; MAGNETOTHERAPY; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; RADIATION THERAPY; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; SURGERY; TRANSPORTING; ULTRASOUND THERAPY; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

A method of forming a component of an ultrasonic surgical instrument includes accessing a file including a digital model representing the component. The component includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion includes a contact portion. The distal portion includes an ultrasonic blade. The contact portion is configured to transmit ultrasonic vibrations to the ultrasonic blade when the component is acoustically coupled to a complementary portion of an acoustic waveguide of the ultrasonic surgical instrument. The file is used to fabricate the component via an additive manufacturing process. Once the component has been fabricated, the distal portion is secured to a distal end of the complementary portion of the acoustic waveguide.