JPS63260638A - Production of eyeless needle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a hole bend, hole through, etc., and to reduce the generation of defective products by projecting to the tip of a needle stock only one pulse of the laser beam with less dispersion obtd. by oscillating each element of a laser oscillating device under a fixed temp. each time. CONSTITUTION:The lens protection glass intersecting an optical path and the movable transparent film for dust-proof are provided between a condensing lens and needle mounting base, and a compressed air injection device is provided as well at the position intercepting no optical path along this transparent film. Thus generating spatters are received by the transparent film to prevent the spatter sticking to the condensing lens, etc. The burn-off of the film is prevented by cooling the spatter and fine dusts by the compressed air injection device to prevent the spatter dispersing in the direction of the condensing optical system device of the spatter as well. Also, a fixed output energy and the laser beam having less strength varying parts are projected by oscillating laser beam under fixed temp. to execute piercing with good accuracy.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a surgical suture needle, and relates to an eyeless needle that has a hole in the proximal end into which a suture thread can be inserted and caulked. This relates to a manufacturing method.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, drilling, electrical discharge machining, beam thermal processing using a laser or electron beam, etc. have been generally used to form holes in surgical eyeless suture needles.

However, with the above-mentioned drilling or electrical discharge machining method, it is difficult to make a drill or electrode with an extremely small diameter. (It was extremely difficult to drill holes with high precision in the hole.

Therefore, when drilling holes in small-diameter needle materials, beam thermal machining methods using laser beams, electron beams, etc., which do not require tools, have been practiced.

However, this beam thermal processing method also has various drawbacks, and the applicant has already published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 111294/1984, No. 60-68184, and No. 60-60 in order to improve these drawbacks. Publication No. 170590, 60-1844
Publication No. 85.

A technique as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-37918 has been developed and put into practical use.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, despite the development of various improved techniques as described above regarding the beam thermal processing method, the fundamental problems still remain unsolved.

Particularly in hole drilling methods where the hole diameter is large compared to the needle diameter, that is, when drilling holes with small wall thickness, the hole bends and 8 holes are punched out.

Alternatively, there was a problem in which defective products such as holes and tears were frequently produced.

One of the major reasons for the high number of defective products is that when performing beam thermal processing, the needle material is irradiated with a laser beam several times in order to create holes, which is called multi-pulse drilling. This is thought to be due to the fact that the processing method is inevitably adopted.

The reason why the beam thermal processing method must necessarily be performed with multiple pulses is that the laser light emitted from the oscillation device varies from pulse to pulse, and it is necessary to use multiple pulses to cancel out the variations in each pulse and make them uniform. However, due to human power, the entire wall of the needle material will reach a high temperature exceeding its melting point, causing the wall to burst. If processed using high power, large particles will be scattered over long distances, so it is necessary to use condensing optical systems such as lenses. This is due to reasons such as making protection difficult.

On the other hand, one of the major reasons why multiple pulses produce defective products is that the next laser beam is reflected on the inner circumferential wall of a hole drilled to a certain depth by the previous laser beam, causing the hole to become bent or Holes may occur. That is,
The inner circumferential surface of the hole drilled with laser light is a surface that immediately solidifies after being melted, so although there are irregularities on that surface, it maintains a mirror surface overall, and therefore, the mirror surface remains as a whole. When the laser beam hits the hole, it is reflected and the hole bends to the opposite side, causing the hole to bend or go through. Furthermore, since the second and subsequent laser beams are highly reflective, the effect of drilling deeply into the hole is inhibited, and therefore, laser processing cannot be completed unless multiple laser beams are irradiated one after another.

Another major reason is that when holes are drilled using multiple pulses, the spackle generated by the later pulses adheres to the vicinity of the entrance of the previously completed hole. As a result, the diameter of the hole at the inlet became small or the shape of the hole deteriorated, resulting in about 20% of all products being unusable and defective.

The present invention relates to a completely new technique developed in view of these conventional problems.

Means for Solving the Problems> The present invention protects a condensing optical system device such as a condensing lens with a dustproof transparent film and a compressed air blowing device, and also protects each element of a laser oscillation device almost every time. It is characterized by manufacturing eyeless needles by drilling a hole by irradiating the base end of the needle with only one pulse of laser light V' varnish, which is generated by oscillating at a constant temperature and has little variation in output. This is a method for manufacturing an eyeless needle.

As described above, in the present invention, each element of the laser oscillation device is oscillated at a substantially constant temperature each time, and a laser beam with little output variation is irradiated for each pulse, and
The lens and other condensing optical system devices are equipped with protective means so that laser processing can be performed by irradiating only one pulse of laser light, so that a stable pulse of laser light is always obtained and spatter that occurs during laser processing can be avoided. It further protects the condensing optical system, thereby preventing hole bending, hole punching, or hole tearing caused by laser processing, and also prevents spatter from adhering to the entrance of the hole, which significantly reduces the occurrence of defective products. It can be reduced.

<Example> First, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, a lens protection glass that crosses the optical path and a movable dustproof transparent film are provided between the condenser lens and the needle mounting base, and a movable dustproof transparent film is provided along the transparent film. A compressed air jet device was installed at a position where the optical path was not obstructed, and the transparent film was used to catch the spatter generated when the needle material was drilled with a laser beam, so that the spatter could not be removed from the condenser lens, etc. In order to prevent spatter from adhering to the condensing optical system device and damaging the IQ of these devices, and furthermore, to prevent spatter from adhering to the new side of this movable film, use 'UM temporary' as long as it does not block the optical path. If provided, the film can be used without impairing its transparency.

In addition, by cooling the spatter and fine dust generated during drilling with a compressed air blowing device, it is possible to prevent the film from being burnt out, and to prevent the spatter from scattering in the direction of the focusing optical system device. The condensing optical system device can be protected by allowing this to fall.

As mentioned above, in the method of the present invention, not only a lens protection glass but also a transparent film and a compressed air blowing device are provided directly to a condensing optical system device such as a condensing lens to prevent holes caused by radar light. Since spatter and fine dust generated during processing are prevented from adhering to the focusing optical system device, drilling with a high-output single-pulse laser beam is processed and flying objects such as large spatters are effectively removed. Even if they occur, it is possible to prevent these scattered objects from adhering to the condensing optical system device and damaging it.

Furthermore, in the method according to the present invention, each element of the laser oscillation device oscillates a laser beam at a substantially constant temperature almost every time, and the laser beam with little variation in output from pulse to pulse is used to generate the needle material. Since the hole drilling process is performed using only one pulse of L-Q light with a large output at the base end, the output energy is always constant and the laser beam has very little variation in intensity within the laser beam spot. It is possible to irradiate the needle material, thereby making it possible to drill extremely uniform and precise holes at the base end of the needle material.

Therefore, since the oscillator and optical path element in the laser processing 4A position always oscillate the laser beam at a constant temperature, the laser beam can be oscillated in a stable state with less variation in pulses. always 4
1? A well-done, uniform hole can be machined.

Specifically, a method of keeping each element of the oscillation device at a substantially constant temperature during each oscillation will be explained as follows.

First, as detailed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-170590, by always oscillating a laser beam at regular intervals, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of regular oscillation, the laser beam is heated by the previous oscillation. When each element releases a certain amount of heat over a certain period of time and reaches a certain temperature, the next oscillation occurs, and the output becomes constant.

Second, each element performs the next oscillation after the influence of the previous oscillation has completely disappeared, so that pulses with less variation can be obtained each time.

Thirdly, it takes a considerable amount of time for the influence of the previous oscillation to disappear, so the ambient temperature of each element should be kept as high as possible (maintained at a constant temperature, and the difference from the temperature of 1 degree immediately after oscillation should be minimized). At the same time, in order to promote heat dissipation sufficiently rapidly to each element, increase the number of flow meters for water-cooled elements such as rondos, elliptical mirrors, and flash lamps, and increase the number of flow meters for air-cooled elements such as rod ends, total reflection mirrors, semi-reflection mirrors, etc. On the other hand, by blowing sufficient ambient air with a fan or the like, the thermal influence of the previous oscillation is removed in a short period of time, and by performing the next oscillation, pulses with less variation can be obtained each time.

Above 1. Second. In the third example, if the needle material supply is highly reliable and the repetition speed is fast, the first method will pass, and if the needle material supply position is manually determined, the first method will pass. The second method should be selected as appropriate, taking into account the fact that the lamp life will be extended because it does not generate unnecessary oscillations.Furthermore, even with methods other than the first to third methods above, each element of the oscillator remains approximately constant each time. Any method that oscillates depending on temperature is fine.

Next, when carrying out the method of the present invention, when drilling a relatively large diameter needle hole at the base end of a relatively small diameter needle material, for example,
．． A needle hole with a diameter of 0.13 mm is made in a needle material with a diameter of 23 mm using one pulse of laser light (the wall thickness is 0.05 mm).
) In such cases, it is extremely effective to use the following method together with the method described above.

That is, a material having a thermal conductivity similar to that of the needle material is integrally attached around the needle material larger than the desired needle diameter or the needle material having the desired needle diameter to make the base end of the thickened needle material. - After the holes are formed by laser or electron beam thermal processing, the part larger than the needle diameter is removed to produce an eyeless needle, which creates a uniform large diameter hole at the base end of the needle material. It is possible to drill holes and prevent the occurrence of defective products such as bent holes, missing holes, or torn holes.

If, as in this method, a material with a thermal conductivity similar to that of the needle material is integrally attached around the needle material to make it thicker and then laser beam processing is performed, the heat during laser beam processing will be transferred to the surrounding area of the needle material. The temperature is also dispersed throughout the thickened part of the hole, so there is no risk that the temperature will rise sharply on one side compared to the other side.
Alternatively, the occurrence of holes, tears, etc. can be prevented.

The needle hole at the proximal end of the needle material that has been drilled by the method of the present invention as described above is further prepared by stripping the inner wall of the hole with a drill or the like, or by heating the hole to oxidize the inner diameter. Of course, it is also possible to perform reprocessing such as softening the wall material while rotating the rod, or drilling a spiral groove in the inner circumferential surface of the hole by inserting the rod into the hole while rotating it.

11; The needle material having the holes processed as described in 1 above is subjected to polishing, bending, etc. on the outer circumferential surface in a subsequent process, and is completed as an eyeless needle.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, in the method according to the present invention, each element of the laser oscillation device is irradiated with laser light obtained by oscillating each element at a substantially constant temperature, so that stable and uniform pulses are always produced. Therefore, stable and uniform drilling can be performed on the proximal end of the needle material, and a transparent film and compressed air blowing device can be used for condensing optical system devices such as lenses. Since we designed the base end of the needle material to be laser-processed by irradiating only one pulse of laser light without providing any protection, spatter and fine dust generated during laser processing will not adhere to the focusing optical system. By using these tools, it is possible to drill holes at the proximal end of the needle material using a high-output 1-pulse laser beam, and this 1-pulse laser beam can prevent holes from becoming bent due to laser processing. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of holes, tearing, etc., or the occurrence of defective products due to adhesion of spatter to the artificial part of the hole.

When the method according to the present invention is implemented, the overall processing speed can be sped up, and holes can be drilled with one pulse of laser oscillation, so the life of the excitation lamp used in the laser oscillation device can be reduced. It has the characteristics that it can be made extremely long, further improves the overall quality, and allows the needle to be mass-produced at low cost.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Output obtained by protecting condensing optical system devices such as condensing lenses with protective means such as dust-proof transparent films and compressed air blowing devices, and oscillating each element of the laser oscillation device at approximately constant temperature each time. A method for manufacturing an eyeless needle, characterized in that the eyeless needle is manufactured by drilling a hole by irradiating the base end of the needle material with only one pulse of laser light with little variation in the needle material. (2) The method for manufacturing an eyeless needle according to claim 1, characterized in that laser processing is performed after integrally attaching a substance having a thermal conductivity similar to that of the needle material around the needle material. (3) The method for manufacturing an eyeless needle according to claim 1, characterized in that the hole at the base end of the needle material drilled by laser processing is reworked by another means such as a drill.