JP2007039364A - Method and apparatus for producing skin needle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for producing a skin needle, by which a skin needle is produced more inexpensively than conventional ones. <P>SOLUTION: The method for producing a skin needle comprises a constitution of a setting process for setting a substrate 2 having holes 3 (cavities) on the surface, a supply process for supplying a material 1 for skin needle to the cavities by a syringe 4, a process for melting the material by a heater before or after the supply process, a contact adhesion process for contacting and attaching a pin 20 to the molten material and a needle formation process for drawing out the material attached to the pin 20 by the contacting and attaching process by its surface tension and forming the skin needle. By the constitution, since an expensive material is not used in a member in which a skin needle is set and a skin needle is formed by the minimum amount of the material necessary for constituting the skin needle, a skin needle is produced more inexpensively than conventional ones. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a skin needle, which is a needle for piercing the skin.

  Conventionally, as a method for manufacturing a skin needle, a method for manufacturing a skin needle by injection molding a material into a mold is known. (For example, Patent Document 1)

JP2003-238347

  However, the conventional skin needle manufacturing method has a problem that an expensive mold must be manufactured and it is difficult to mass-produce. Further, the amount of material of the material installation member on which the skin needle is installed is larger than the amount of the skin needle, and as a result, a large amount of material is consumed, resulting in an increase in the price of the skin needle.

  An object of this invention is to provide the skin needle manufacturing method and apparatus which can manufacture the skin needle | hook cheaply compared with the past.

The skin needle manufacturing method of the present invention includes an installation step of installing a substrate having a depression on the surface, a supply step of supplying a skin needle material to the depression, and a step of melting the material after or before the supply step. The contact adhesion process for contacting and adhering the pin member to the molten material, and the needle molding process for forming the skin needle by stretching the material adhered to the pin member by the surface tension in the contact adhesion process.
Further, the skin needle manufacturing device of the present invention has a substrate having a depression on the surface, a supply means for supplying the skin needle material to the depression, a melting means for melting the material after or before the supply, and a melting means. After the pin member is brought into contact with the material in the recess, the pin member moving means is configured to stretch the material attached to the pin member.
According to such a configuration of the present invention, an expensive material is not used for the member on which the skin needle is installed, and the skin needle is formed with the minimum amount of material necessary to configure the skin needle. Therefore, the skin needle can be manufactured at a lower cost than in the past.

  According to the present invention, a skin needle can be manufactured at a lower cost than in the prior art.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below. First, the structure of the skin needle manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The skin needle manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment manufactures a micropile having a length of several hundred μm or less as a skin needle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a material placement device 50 as a skin needle manufacturing device according to the present embodiment stores an XY stage 8 on which a substrate 2 provided with a plurality of holes 3 is placed, and a material 1. A syringe 4, a heater 5 that warms the syringe 4 together with the material 1, a moving unit 6 that moves the syringe 4 in the vertical direction, a column unit that moves the moving unit 6, and a drive mechanism 7 are provided. The syringe 4 can easily push out the material 1 from the needle tip of the syringe 4 by pushing down the piston in the syringe using compressed air or the like (material supply step). The moving unit 6 and the XY stage 8 perform operation control using a control device such as a computer or a sequencer.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a micropile pulling device 51 as a skin needle manufacturing device according to the present embodiment is installed on the ground surface 12 to form a chamber 11 a, and to the wall portion 11. Humidity maintenance device 13 as a humidity maintenance means that is installed and maintains the humidity in chamber 11a at 60% or less, and material installation in which material 1 of micropile 9 (see FIG. 2) is installed in chamber 11a A substrate 2 as a member, a heater 15 as a member temperature changing means for changing the temperature of the substrate 2, a column portion 16 fixed to the heater substrate 14, and a direction indicated by arrows 17a and 17b along the column portion 16. The moving part 17 supported by the column part 16 so that movement is possible, the heater board | substrate 18 fixed to the moving part 17, the heater 19 which changes the temperature of the heater board | substrate 18, and the heater board | substrate 18 are installed in the material 1 A plurality of pins 20 (for example, about 50 to 1000 pins) for attaching the part, a drive mechanism 21 for moving the moving part 17 along the pillar part 16, a heater 15, a heater 19, and a drive mechanism 21. And a computer 10 as control means for controlling the operation.

  Here, the heater substrate 18 is a square having a size and shape of about 5 to 50 mm square where a plurality of pins 20 are installed.

  The heater 19 changes the temperature of the pin 20 indirectly through the heater substrate 18 by changing the temperature of the heater substrate 18 and constitutes a pin temperature changing means.

  The plurality of pins 20 are installed on the heater substrate 18 at substantially equal intervals in the form of lattice points, and are formed of a metal having high thermal conductivity. In FIG. 4, only five pins 20 are drawn because of simplification in consideration of visibility.

  The drive mechanism 21 moves the pin 17 installed on the heater substrate 18 fixed to the moving unit 17 with respect to the material 1 installed on the substrate 2 by moving the moving unit 17 along the column part 16. It constitutes a moving means.

  Material 1 contains sugars, such as maltose, as a main component.

(Board installation process)
The operation of the material placement device 50 will be described. First, the material placement apparatus 50 places the substrate 2 on the XY stage 8 (substrate placement step). The substrate 2 is provided with a plurality of holes 3 (for example, 50 to 1000) for the material 1 to enter, and the size of the holes 3 is, for example, in the range of 0.5 to 5 mm in diameter and 0.5 to 5 mm in depth. is there. The material of the substrate 2 is preferably a metal, resin, ceramic, or the like that is a material that conducts heat.

(Material supply process)
The syringe 4 is maintained at about 100 ° C. by the heater 5 and dissolves the material 1 installed in the syringe 4. The XY stage 8 is moved using a computer, a sequencer or the like, and the center of the hole 3 is aligned under the needle of the syringe 4. Thereafter, the moving unit 6 is moved in the moving unit downward direction 6b by using a computer, a sequencer or the like, and the needle tip of the syringe 4 is moved to the opening part of the hole 3. Thereafter, the piston of the syringe 4 is moved in the material extrusion direction 4 a using compressed air or the like, and the material 1 is poured into the hole 3. When the material 1 reaches the upper surface of the open part of the hole 3, the pushing of the piston of the syringe 4 is stopped, and the moving part 6 is moved in the moving direction 6a on the moving part to move the needle tip of the syringe 4. These operations are repeated for the number of the holes 3 to supply the material 1 to all the holes 3.

  Next, the operation of the micropile lifting device 51 will be described. The humidity maintaining device 13 always maintains the humidity in the chamber 11a within a predetermined range. First, in the micropile pulling device 51, the substrate 2 on which the material 1 is installed on the heater substrate 14 by the material installing device 50 is installed.

(Material melting process)
When the operator of the micropile pulling apparatus 51 instructs the computer 10 to manufacture the micropile, the computer 10 controls the heater 2 so that the temperature of the heater substrate 14 is maintained at about 100 ° C. by the heater 15. The material 1 installed in is dissolved.

(Material adhesion process)
The computer 10 moves the moving part 17 along the column part 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow 17a by the drive mechanism 21, thereby causing the pins 20 installed on the heater substrate 18 fixed to the moving part 17 to move on the board 2. As shown in FIG. 5A, a part of the material 1 is adhered to the pin 20. Here, the micropile pulling device 51 is formed with high accuracy so that the plurality of pins 20 installed on the heater substrate 18 uniformly contact the material 1.

(Molding process)
The computer 10 controls the heater 20 to maintain the temperature of the pin 20 at about 120 ° C. via the heater substrate 18 while maintaining the temperature of the substrate 2 at about 100 ° C. by the heater 15. Pins fixed to the heater substrate 18 fixed to the moving part 17 by moving the moving part 17 along the column part 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow 17b by the drive mechanism 21 at a rate of about 500 μm to about 5 mm at about 2 mm / sec. 5B, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the material 1 is separated from the protruding portion 1b protruded by the tension from the attached portion 1a attached to the pin 20, and the protruding portion 1b is stretched to have a length of about It is formed as a substantially pyramidal micropile 9 (see FIG. 2) of 500 μm. Since the plurality of pins 20 are installed on the heater substrate 18 at substantially equal intervals in the form of lattice points, a plurality of protruding portions 1b are formed on the substrate 2 at substantially equal intervals in the form of lattice points. .

(Separation process)
The computer 10 controls the heater 20 to lower the temperature of the pin 20 through the heater substrate 18 and maintain it at about 100 ° C., and then the drive mechanism 21 indicates the moving part 17 along the pillar part 16 by an arrow 17b. The pin 20 placed on the heater substrate 18 fixed to the moving part 17 is moved away from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 as shown in FIG. The attached portion 1 a attached to 20 is separated from the protruding portion 1 b formed as the micropile 9.

  As described above, the material installation device 50 and the micropile lifting device 51 can manufacture the micropile 9 whose main component is sugar as shown in FIG. In addition, portions other than the micropile 9 in the material 1 from which the attached portion 1 a has been separated remain in the holes 3 of the substrate 2, and the micropile 9 is fixed to the substrate 2.

  A user of the manufactured micropile 9 can stab the micropile 9 into the skin by holding the substrate 2 and pressing the micropile 9 against the skin. Here, if the micropile 9 is manufactured sufficiently finely, a person who has the micropile 9 stabbed in the skin does not feel pain.

  Further, since the material placement device 50 places as much material as necessary for forming the micropile 9 on the substrate 2, the material 1 can be reduced, and the micropile lifting device 51 uses the tension of the material 1 to make micropile. 9 is manufactured, an expensive mold as in the prior art is unnecessary, and the micropile 9 can be manufactured at a lower cost than in the past. Therefore, the material installation device 50 and the micropile pulling device 51 can easily mass-produce the micropile 9.

  The micropile pulling device 51 lowers the temperature of the pin 20 to lower the viscosity of the portion between the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 and the attached portion 1a, and then separates the pin 20 from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 to thereby separate the material 1. Since the attached portion 1a is separated from the protruding portion 1b, a cutter or the like that actively cuts the attached portion 1a from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 can be eliminated. The micropile pulling device 51 lowers the temperature of the heater substrate 14 to lower the viscosity of the portion between the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 and the attached portion 1a, and then separates the pin 20 from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1. The attached portion 1a may be separated from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1. Further, the micropile pulling device 51 reduces the viscosity of the portion between the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 and the adhered portion 1a, and then separates the pin 20 from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 to thereby remove the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 from the protruding portion 1b. Instead of cutting off the attached portion 1a, the attached portion 1a may be actively cut from the protruding portion 1b of the material 1 by a cutter or the like.

  The micropile pulling device 51 maintains the humidity around the material 1 placed on the substrate 2 within a predetermined range by the humidity maintaining device 13 during the manufacture of the micropile 9, so that the material 1 is easily dissolved in water, such as sugar. Even if it is the material of this, the micropile 9 can be manufactured with sufficient precision.

  The material placement device 50 and the micropile pulling device 51 produce a plurality of micropiles 9 at a time by placing a plurality of materials on the substrate 2 and a plurality of pins 20 on the heater substrate 18. However, one micropile 9 may be manufactured at a time.

  The material placement device 50 and the micropile pulling device 51 are configured to manufacture a plurality of micropiles 9 arranged in a lattice point shape, but a plurality of micropiles 9 are manufactured in an array other than the lattice point shape. You may come to do.

  The micropile pulling device 51 realizes cooling of the material 1 by natural heat dissipation, but may include a device for actively cooling the material 1.

  The material 1 is mainly composed of sugar in the above-described embodiment, but the component configuration is not limited to this. For example, the material 1 may have a protein as a main component.

  In the above-described embodiment, the material 1 is melted before being supplied to the recess portion of the substrate 2. However, after the material 1 is supplied to the recess portion of the substrate, the substrate is heated to heat the material. And may be melted.

  As described above, the skin needle manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can manufacture skin needles at a lower cost than conventional ones.

The perspective view of the material installation apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Side sectional view of one micropile created by the material installation device shown in FIG. 1 and the micropile lifting device shown in FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a plurality of micropiles created by the material installation device shown in FIG. 1 and the micropile lifting device shown in FIG. Side surface sectional drawing of the micropile raising apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) Side view of a part of the material in the material attaching step of the micropile pulling device shown in FIG. 4 (b) Side view of a part of the material in the forming step of the micropile pulling device shown in FIG. 4 (c) FIG. Side view of a part of the material in the separation process of the micropile lifting device shown in

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Material 1a Adhesion part 1b Protrusion part 2 Substrate 3 Hole 4 Syringe 4a Material extrusion direction 5 Heater 6 Movement part 6a Movement part upper movement direction 6b Movement part lower movement direction 7 Column part and drive mechanism 8 XY stage 8a X movement direction 8b Y moving direction 9 Micropile 10 Computer 11 Wall portion 11a Chamber 12 Ground 13 Humidity maintenance device 14 Heater substrate 15 Heater 16 Column portion 17 Moving portion 17a Arrow 17b Arrow 18 Heater substrate 19 Heater 20 Pin 20a End face 21 Drive mechanism

Claims (2)

An installation step of installing a substrate having a depression on the surface, a supply step of supplying a skin needle material to the depression, a step of melting the material after or before the supply step, and a pin to the molten material A skin needle comprising: a contact attachment step for contacting and attaching a member; and a needle forming step for forming the skin needle by stretching the material attached to the pin member in the contact attachment step by its surface tension. Production method. A substrate having a depression on the surface, a supply means for supplying the skin needle material to the depression, a melting means for melting the material after or before the supply, and a pin member on the material in the melted depression An apparatus for manufacturing a skin needle, comprising: a pin member moving means for extending the material adhered to the pin member after contact.

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