Electrical isolation of electrosurgical instrument end effectors

An end effector for a surgical tool, comprising:

• a jaw including a shank and a contact plate forming part of the shank;
• a jaw holder secured to the jaw and providing:
• a first molded component defining a cavity and a cable passage that communicates with the contact plate;
• and
• a second molded component overmolded onto the first molded component and filling the cavity;
• and
• an electrical conductor extending through the cable passage and including an insulation sheath and a supply conductor electrically coupled to the contact plate to supply electrical energy to the jaw,
• wherein the second molded component encapsulates and electrically insulates exposed portions of the jaw and the shank situated in the cavity without contacting the insulation sheath.

An end effector for a surgical tool, comprising:

• a jaw including a shank and a contact plate forming part of the shank;
• a jaw holder secured to the jaw and providing a molded component overmolded onto portions of the shank and the contact plate and defining a cable passage that communicates with the contact plate;
• an electrical conductor extending through the cable passage and including an insulation sheath and a supply conductor electrically coupled to the contact plate to supply electrical energy to the jaw;
• a cavity defined in the jaw holder and exposing portions of the jaw and the electrical conductor;
• and
• a filler material that covers exposed portions of the jaw and the electrical conductor within the cavity.

An end effector for a surgical tool, comprising:

• a jaw including a shank and a contact plate forming part of the shank;
• a jaw holder secured to the jaw and providing:
• a first molded component defining a cavity, a cable passage that communicates with the contact plate, and a raised thin-walled rib that circumscribes at least a portion of the interior of the cavity;
• and
• a second molded component overmolded onto the first molded component and filling the cavity;
• and
• an electrical conductor extending through the cable passage and including a supply conductor electrically coupled to the contact plate to supply electrical energy to the jaw,
• wherein the second molded component encapsulates and electrically insulates the contact plate and an exposed portion of the supply conductor, and
• wherein molten material of the second molded component melts and intermixes with the material of the raised thin-walled rib.