ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
Mold and Tool Company Cuts Costs,
Time for Biopsy Device
Nicolet Plastics’ design, tooling, and
material suggestions were cost-effective
without sacrificing performance
As Invivo Corp. (Pewaukee, WI; www.
invivocorp.com) began to finalize the
design of its Luminescence breast coil
system and biopsy device (LBS), it consulted
Nicolet Plastics Inc. (NPI; Mountain, WI;
www.nicoletplastics.com), a long-time partner
specializing in injection molding and mold building
and tooling. The design of the LBS—which
provides illumination, imaging, immobilization,
and needle guidance for interventional biopsies—
was particularly challenging. Not only would
the disposable device need to meet high sterility
standards, but it had to have good mechanical
strength to provide stability and be composed of
both biocompatible and flame-retardant materials
that wouldn’t image during an MRI scan.
“Some components were designed ahead of
time, but NPI reviewed all our specs,” explains
Dean Walters, Invivo’s lead engineer for the
project. “Some of the LBS’s more-complex tools
had side actions, and we had to work with NPI
to determine directions of pull. We couldn’t have
finished the design without their input.”
A collaboration by NPI and Invivo to change the
radii of certain pieces reduced the tooling costs and
A mold and tool specialist helped to optimize the design of
a breast coil system and biopsy device.
increased the structural integrity on several parts.
Invivo was able to benefit from NPI’s expertise
in both custom injection tooling and molding.
“Because we have steel available in-house, we
can start on the mold build quickly and often at
prices that are normally associated with imported
tools,” explains Mike Grobe, NPI project manager
for the BBD program. “We were able to produce
the Invivo tooling faster and more efficiently than
could have been done using conventional tooling
methods. We made 49 parts using 24 tools.”
Materials selection also benefited from NPI’s
input. The original design called for materials that
were not readily available; however, NPI suggested
alternatives that proved to be more cost-effective
without sacrificing performance. “At one point, we
were struggling to find a biocompatible material
for a fiducial cap,” recalls Walters. NPI found a
clear rubber material that didn’t image during MRI.
NPI also assisted with the design of an LED
light lens. “Invivo had a single part they wanted
to mold that had to be water-clear transparent,
chemically resistant, and flame retardant because
there are electrical components behind it,” Grobe
says. “A previous vendor had recommended a
material to Invivo, but we knew it wouldn’t work
because it is amber in color. After some research,
we recommended using a copolyester material that
is transparent and very chemically resistant.”
Walters adds, “Invivo also suggested making
the lens a two-piece design with the transparent
copolyester on top and a flame-retardant
polycarbonate on the bottom. They bonded the pieces
together with a bonding agent that did not image.”
To identify potential problems prior to mold
construction, NPI used mold-flow analysis software
to show the last areas of the part to fill, how the
material will orient within the mold, and potential
warpage and stress points. “NPI helped us develop
optimal gate location and size,” Walters says. “We
identified stress areas and were able to increase radii
in order to eliminate those stress points and perfect
the tool before the final stages. Ultimately, the
product development and mold-flow analysis work
we did with NPI in advance of production helped us
get to market faster and to do so with less cost.”
For more engineering
solutions stories, go to
devicelink.com/mpmn/engineering
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