JP6511398B2 - Needle and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cylindrical needle formed by electroforming and a method of manufacturing the same.

  A device for puncturing a needle into a living body is used to inject a drug solution into the living body or collect a body fluid of the living body. A needle attached to such a device is said to cause a great pain because a large outer diameter increases resistance from a living body. Therefore, so-called painless needles have been developed which are as thin as possible and can reduce pain.

  The conventional painless needle is formed, for example, by rolling a stainless steel plate, or the outer diameter is formed thin by stretching a stainless steel cylinder. However, in a needle formed by rolling a plate, the joint portion of the rolled plate must be processed with high accuracy. In addition, in the needle formed by drawing the cylindrical body, there is a possibility that a crease due to the drawing may be generated on the inner peripheral surface, so that the processing is very difficult. Thus, the production of these needles is time-consuming and costly.

  On the other hand, in order to eliminate the said defect, the method of forming a needle | hook by electroforming is proposed (patent document 1, 2). In this method, after the core material having a diameter corresponding to the passage of the needle is immersed in the electrolyte and the electroformed body is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the core material, the core material is extracted from the electroformed body, and the electroformed body The end of the is sharpened at an acute angle.

JP, 2012-5576, A JP, 2006-291345, A

However, the pain of the living body is not sufficiently reduced even with a thin needle formed by electroforming. For example, in the case of the human body, it is said that the pain point, which is a sensory part that feels pain, is about 100 to 200 per cm ² . Pain occurs when the needle stimulates this pain point. The probability that the needle stimulates the pain point is reduced by reducing the outer diameter of the needle. However, no matter how small the outer diameter is, the occurrence of pain is not completely avoided because the outer peripheral surface of the needle contacts the pain point when the needle is punctured into the body.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a needle that can be manufactured inexpensively and with high accuracy, and a method of manufacturing the same, while reducing pain during puncturing.

The method for producing a needle according to the present invention is a method for producing a cylindrical needle by electroforming, comprising: immersing a core material in an electrolytic solution to form a first electroformed body on an outer peripheral surface of the core material; The first electroformed body is immersed in an electrolytic solution to which particles of a predetermined particle size are added, and a second electroformed body having a plurality of convex portions by the particles is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body. A step of cutting the core material from the first electroformed body, cutting at a portion where only the first electroformed body is formed to form a needle base portion, and the second electroformed body is formed Cutting at a site to form a needle tip, and forming a needle having the acute-angled needle tip portion and the needle base portion, and in the step of forming the needle, the needle tip portion It is characterized in that the needle tip portion of two needles is formed by one cutting in forming.

In the method of manufacturing a needle according to the present invention, after forming the first electroformed body, masking is performed on the outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the first electroformed body. comprising the step of applying the agent, said at forming a second electroformed member, Rukoto to form the second electroformed member on the outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body the masking agent has not been applied It is characterized by

  In the method for producing a needle according to the present invention, the electrolytic solution contains at least nickel sulfamate, boric acid and nickel chloride, and the particles are at least one selected from silicon carbide, sapphire, diamond and alumina ceramics. The first electroformed body and the second electroformed body have a current of 1 to 3 A, a voltage of 1 to 3 V, a temperature of the electrolytic solution of 45 to 70 ° C., and a current passing time of 1 to 20 minutes It is characterized in that it is formed under electroforming conditions.

  Further, in the method for manufacturing a needle according to the present invention, the current application time for forming the first electroformed body is set longer than the current application time for forming the second electroformed article.

  In the method of manufacturing a needle according to the present invention, the convex portions have a distance between adjacent tops of 0.2 to 100 μm, and a height from the outer peripheral surface of the second electroformed body of 0.1 to 50 μm. It is characterized by

  Further, in the method for manufacturing a needle according to the present invention, the needle is an injection needle.

  In the needle of the present invention, when a needle is punctured in the living body by forming a convex portion with an interval between the tops of 0.2 to 100 μm and a height from the outer peripheral surface of 0.1 to 50 μm on the outer peripheral surface of the needle tube. Since the convex portion pushes up the skin of the living body, the probability of contact between the needle and the pain point is reduced, and pain can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the method for producing a needle of the present invention, a needle having a convex portion on the outer peripheral surface can be produced inexpensively and with high accuracy by electroforming using an electrolytic solution to which particles of a predetermined particle diameter are added.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the needle of the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IB-IB of FIG. 1A. It is a block diagram of the manufacturing system which manufactures the needle | hook of this embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of the needle | hook of this embodiment. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E are explanatory views of the main steps of the method for manufacturing a needle of the present embodiment.

[Structure of needle]
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the needle 10 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IB-IB of FIG. 1A. In the present embodiment, the needle 10 is an injection needle for injecting a drug solution into a living body.

  The needle 10 includes a cylindrical needle tube 12 formed by electroforming. The needle tube 12 is formed with a circular passage 14 through which the drug solution passes. The needle tube 12 includes a needle tip 16 and a needle base 18. The needle tip portion 16 has a penetrating surface 20 and a drug solution outlet 22 cut into an acute angle. The needle base portion 18 has a drug solution inlet 24 cut perpendicularly to the axis of the needle tube 12. A large number of convex portions 28 are formed on the outer peripheral surface 26 of the needle tip portion 16. The distance W between the tops of adjacent convex portions 28 is 0.2 to 100 μm. Moreover, the height H of each convex part 28 from the outer peripheral surface 26 is 0.1-50 micrometers.

[Manufacturing system configuration]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a manufacturing system 100 for manufacturing the needle 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a process diagram of a method of manufacturing the needle 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E are explanatory views of the main steps of the method for manufacturing the needle 10 of the present embodiment.

  The manufacturing system 100 includes a plating apparatus 104, a first electroforming apparatus 106, a masking apparatus 108, a second electroforming apparatus 110, a removing apparatus 112, a extracting apparatus 114, a laser processing apparatus 116, a plating apparatus 118, and a forming apparatus 120.

  The plating apparatus 104 is an apparatus for depositing gold on the outer peripheral surface 124 of the core material 122 forming the passage 14 of the needle tube 12 for gold plating. The first electroforming apparatus 106 is an apparatus for depositing nickel on the outer peripheral surface 124 of the gold-plated core member 122 to form a first electroformed body 126. The masking device 108 is a device for applying the masking agent 130 to the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the first electroformed body 126. The second electroforming apparatus 110 is an apparatus for depositing nickel on the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed article 126 on which the masking agent 130 is not applied, and forming a second electroformed article 134 having a convex portion 28. The removing device 112 is a device for removing the masking agent 130 from the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126. The removal device 114 is a device for removing the core material 122 from the first electroformed body 126. The laser processing apparatus 116 irradiates a laser beam to the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134, and cuts the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 into predetermined lengths and shapes. It is. The plating apparatus 118 is an apparatus for depositing gold by depositing gold on the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126, the outer peripheral surface 136 of the second electroformed body 134, and the inner peripheral surface 140 of the hollow portion 138. The forming apparatus 120 is an apparatus for forming a resin base 142 on the needle base portion 18 of the needle 10 consisting of the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 plated with gold.

[Method of Manufacturing Needle 10]
A method of manufacturing the needle 10 will be described based on FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4E.

  First, a core 122 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the passage 14 of the needle 10 is prepared. The core member 122 has a constant diameter along the longitudinal direction, and is formed of, for example, stainless steel. The core material 122 is immersed in 50 g / L of nonferrous alkaline cleaner, and degreased (step S1).

  In the plating apparatus 104, gold is deposited on the outer peripheral surface 124 of the degreased core 122, and the core 122 is gold-plated (step S2). The core 122 is washed, and the plating solution is removed from the core 122 (step S3).

  In the first electroforming apparatus 106, the gold-plated core material 122 is immersed in the electrolytic solution, and the first electroformed body 126 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 124 of the core material 122 under predetermined electroforming conditions (step S4, FIG. 4A).

  The electrolytic solution contains at least 450 g / L of nickel sulfamate, 20 to 30 g / L of boric acid, 10 to 20 g / L of nickel chloride, 5 to 10 cc / L of sulfonic acid benzoate salt, and 5 to 10 cc / L of saccharin. In addition, the electrolytic solution may contain sodium lauryl sulfate supersaturated solution, a curing agent (NSF-E (Nippon Kagaku Co., Ltd.)), sodium naphthalene sulfonate, acetyl cyanamide, thiouric acid and para-toluene sulfonic acid amide. By including these materials in the electrolytic solution, the time required for electroforming can be shortened, and as predetermined electroforming conditions, voltage is 1 to 3 V, current is 1 to 3 A, and energization time is 1 to 20 minutes. The temperature of the electrolyte is 45 to 70 ° C.

  In the first electroforming apparatus 106, power is supplied to the core material 122 of the cathode, and power is supplied to the nickel material containing sulfur of the anode. The nickel material is easily dissolved in the electrolytic solution by containing sulfur. The nickel material is made of, for example, nickel spheres. The nickel spheres are housed in a titanium wire mesh. When a voltage of 1 to 3 V and a current of 1 to 3 A are applied between the cathode and the anode, the nickel of the anode is ionized and dissolved in the electrolyte. In addition, nickel ions of the electrolytic solution are deposited as nickel on the core 122 of the cathode. As a result, the first electroformed body 126 of nickel is formed on the outer peripheral surface 124 of the core material 122. The first electroformed body 126 is cleaned, and the electrolytic solution is removed from the first electroformed body 126 (step S5).

  In the masking device 108, the masking agent 130 is applied at predetermined intervals to the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 along the longitudinal direction of the first electroformed body 126 formed on the core member 122 (step S6, Figure 4B). The portion of the first electroformed body 126 to which the masking agent 130 is applied is a portion corresponding to the needle base portion 18 of the needle 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

  In the second electroforming apparatus 110, an electrolytic solution in which particles of a predetermined particle size are included in the electrolytic solution of the first electroforming apparatus 106 is prepared. The electrolytic solution of the second electroforming apparatus 110 contains sodium lauryl sulfate supersaturated solution, a curing agent (NSF-E (Nippon Kagaku Co., Ltd.)), sodium naphthalene sulfonate, acetyl cyanamide, thiouric acid and para-toluene sulfonic acid amide. As in the case of step S4, by including these materials in the electrolytic solution, the time required for electroforming can be shortened.The particles contained in the electrolytic solution may be silicon carbide, sapphire, diamond, Also, the particle size of the particles is 0.2 to 100 μm, and the concentration of the particles in the electrolyte is, for example, about 10 g / L in the case of sapphire. .

  In the second electroforming apparatus 110, the first electroformed body 126 to which the masking agent 130 is applied is immersed in the electrolytic solution, and the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 is not masked under a predetermined electroforming condition. The second electroformed body 134 is formed (step S7, FIG. 4C). As predetermined electroforming conditions, the voltage is 1 to 3 V, the current is 1 to 3 A, the energization time is 1 to 20 minutes, and the temperature of the electrolytic solution is 45 to 70 ° C. The energization time is set to be shorter than the energization time for forming the first electroformed body 126. Therefore, the second electroformed body 134 is thinner than the thickness of the first electroformed body 126, and is formed in a short time.

  The cathode and the anode of the second electroforming apparatus 110 are configured in the same manner as the cathode and the anode of the first electroforming apparatus 106. When a voltage of 1 to 3 V and a current of 1 to 3 A are applied between the cathode and the anode, the nickel of the anode is ionized and dissolved in the electrolyte. In addition, nickel ions of the electrolytic solution are deposited as nickel on the first electroformed body 126 of the cathode. As a result, the second electroformed body 134 of nickel containing particles is formed on the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 to which the masking agent 130 is not applied. On the outer peripheral surface 136 of the second electroformed body 134, a convex portion 28 is formed by particles contained in the electrolytic solution. The second electroformed body 134 is not formed on the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 to which the masking agent 130 is applied. The second electroformed body 134 is cleaned, and the electrolytic solution is removed from the second electroformed body 134 (step S8).

  The distance W between the tops of the adjacent convex portions 28 formed on the outer peripheral surface 136 of the second electroformed body 134 is easily controlled by the concentration of particles contained in the electrolytic solution and the energization time. Further, the height H of the convex portion 28 from the outer circumferential surface 136 (corresponding to the outer circumferential surface 26 of the needle 10) of the second electroformed body 134 is easily controlled by the particle diameter of the particles contained in the electrolytic solution. On the outer peripheral surface 136 of the second electroformed body 134, convex portions 28 having a distance W of 0.2 to 100 μm and a height H of 0.1 to 50 μm are formed.

  In the removing device 112, the masking agent 130 applied in step S6 is removed from the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 (step S9).

  In the extraction device 114, the core material 122 is extracted from the first electroformed body 126 (step S10). By extracting the core material 122, a hollow portion 138 corresponding to the passage 14 of the needle 10 is formed.

  In the laser processing apparatus 116, the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 are cut into a predetermined length and shape in accordance with the size (length) of the needle 10 and the shape of the puncture surface 20 (see FIG. Step S11, FIG. 4D). That is, in the laser processing apparatus 116, the central cut surface 144 of the second electroformed body 134 in which the convex portion 28 is formed is cut at an acute angle according to the shape of the puncture surface 20 of the needle 10. Further, in the laser processing apparatus 116, the cut surface 146 at the center of the first electroformed body 126 in which the convex portion 28 is not formed is cut at right angles according to the shape of the chemical solution inlet 24 of the needle 10.

  In the plating apparatus 118, the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126, the outer peripheral surface 136 of the second electroformed body 134, the inner peripheral surface 140 of the hollow portion 138, and the cut surfaces 144, 146 are plated with gold (step S12). The first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 are cleaned, the plating solution is removed (step S13), and the needle 10 is formed. The main reason for gold-plating the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 is to prevent the occurrence of metal allergy in a living body by the nickel that constitutes the needle 10.

  In the molding apparatus 120, a base 142 of resin is integrally molded on the needle base portion 18 of the needle 10 (step S14, FIG. 4E). In this case, the convex portion 28 is not formed on the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 to be the needle base portion 18. Accordingly, the base 142 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126. The base 142 integrated with the needle 10 may be connected to a unit for supplying a chemical solution.

  Since the convex part 28 is formed in the outer peripheral surface 26 in the needle 10 manufactured as mentioned above, when the needle 10 is punctured by the biological body, for example, the convex part 28 pushes up the skin of the biological body. Therefore, the probability that the pain point contacts the outer circumferential surface 26 is greatly reduced. As a result, the pain point is only slightly stimulated by the convex portion 28, and the pain caused by the puncture is greatly reduced. The electroforming process is divided into a process of forming a first electroformed body 126 with an electrolytic solution containing no particles, and a process of forming a second electroformed body 134 with an electrolytic solution containing particles. Therefore, the convex portion 28 is not formed on the inner peripheral surface 140 of the first electroformed body 126 which becomes the passage 14 of the needle 10. As a result, the chemical solution can be injected into the passage 14 smoothly. Furthermore, since the needle 10 is obtained by cutting the first electroformed body 126 and the second electroformed body 134 every predetermined length, a large number of needles 10 can be manufactured in a short time.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It is possible to change in the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention.

  Although the needle 10 is described as an injection needle in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is punctured by a living body. For example, the needle may be a collection needle for collecting body fluid from a living body.

  In the manufacturing process of the present embodiment, after the first electroformed body 126 is formed, the masking agent 130 is applied, and then the second electroformed body 134 is formed. The present invention is not limited to this as long as the needle 10 having the same can be formed. For example, as a modification of the manufacturing process, the step of applying the masking agent 130 is omitted, and after the first electroformed body 126 is formed, the entire outer peripheral surface 128 of the first electroformed body 126 is subjected to a second electroforming Body 134 may be formed. In the needle 10 thus formed, the convex portion 28 is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface 26, and the base 142 is formed on the needle base portion 18 having the convex portion 28.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Needle 12 ... Needle tube 14 ... Passage 16 ... Needle tip part 18 ... Needle base part 20 ... Puncture surface 22 ... Chemical liquid pouring outlet 24 ... Chemical liquid injection port 26, 124, 128, 136 ... Outer peripheral surface 28 ... Convex part 100 ... Manufacture System 104, 118 Plating device 106 First electroforming device 108 Masking device 110 Second electroforming device 112 Removal device 114 Extraction device 116 Laser processing device 120 Forming device 122 Core material 126 First material Electroformed body 130: Masking agent 134: Second electroformed body 138: Hollow portion 140: Inner circumferential surface 142: Base 144, 146: Cut surface

Claims (6)

In a method of producing a cylindrical needle by electroforming,
Immersing the core material in the electrolytic solution to form a first electroformed body on the outer peripheral surface of the core material;
The first electroformed body is immersed in an electrolytic solution to which particles of a predetermined particle size are added, and a second electroformed body having a plurality of convex portions by the particles is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body. Step and
Removing the core material from the first electroformed body;
The needle base portion is formed by cutting at a portion where only the first electroformed body is formed, and the needle tip portion is formed by cutting at a portion where the second electroformed body is formed, and the acute angled needle Forming a needle having a tip and the needle base;
Equipped with
In the step of forming the needle, a needle tip portion of two needles is formed by one cutting in forming the needle tip portion. In the method of manufacturing a needle according to claim 1,
After forming the first electroformed body, there is a step of applying a masking agent to the outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the first electroformed body,
In the step of forming the second electroformed body, the second electroformed body is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the first electroformed body to which the masking agent is not applied. In the method of manufacturing a needle according to claim 1 or 2,
The electrolytic solution contains at least nickel sulfamate, boric acid and nickel chloride, and the particles contain at least one selected from silicon carbide, sapphire, diamond, and alumina ceramics, and the first electroformed body, The second electroformed body is characterized in that the current is 1 to 3 A, the voltage is 1 to 3 V, the temperature of the electrolyte is 45 to 70 ° C., and the conduction time is 1 to 20 minutes under electroforming conditions. How to make a needle. In the method of manufacturing a needle according to claim 3,
The method for manufacturing a needle, wherein the current application time for forming the first electroformed body is set to be longer than the current application time for forming the second electroformed article. In the method of manufacturing a needle according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The method for manufacturing a needle according to claim 1, wherein the distance between adjacent tops of the convex portion is 0.2 to 100 m, and the height from the outer peripheral surface of the second electroformed body is 0.1 to 50 m. In the method for producing a needle according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The method for producing a needle, wherein the needle is an injection needle.

Images