Components of surgical stapling instruments and methods for manufacturing the same
AssigneeIntuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
InventorsMark Hardyck, Matt Giere, Paul Mircik, Greg Richmond
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Abstract
Surgical stapling instruments and components of those instruments are provided herein. Novel processes for producing such components and instruments are also provided. The components are manufactured through additive manufacturing, metal injection molding (MIM) and/or similar processes. The products are then post-processed with a laser to provide hardness and surface smoothness that meets certain performance requirements. The overall process reduces cost and lead times compared to conventional machining processes.
Claims35
A surgical stapler instrument comprising an end effector having a metallic first jaw produced by a process comprising:
- forming an anvil on an inner surface of the first jaw through an
- additive manufacturing process or a
- metal injection molding (MIM) process;
- and
- applying sufficient thermal energy to one or more surfaces of the component to shape the one or more surfaces.
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A method of forming an anvil of a surgical stapler instrument, the method comprising:
- forming the anvil through an additive manufacturing process or a metal injection molding (MIM) process;
- and
- applying sufficient thermal energy to one or more surfaces of the anvil to at least one of shape or increase the smoothness or hardness of the one or more surfaces.
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A surgical stapler instrument comprising:
- an end effector comprising a first jaw and a second jaw movable relative to the first jaw;
- a staple cartridge comprising a plurality of staples;
- and
- an anvil configured to deform the staples, the anvil comprising a tissue engaging surface;
- and
- one or more staple pockets defined in the tissue engaging surface, wherein the one or more staple pockets comprise surfaces configured to deform the staples, wherein said surfaces are shaped by emitting coherent light onto the one or more surfaces with a laser beam.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.