Manufacturing of Sub-Millimeter Size Medical Device Components with Micro MIM and Their Materials

The purpose of this study was to investigate materials for the manufacture of sub-millimeter disposable medical devices, especially medical devices with an integrated deformable structure that operates by elastic deformation without the need for assembly processes. The results showed that molding at a sintering temperature of 1250℃ resulted in a material with mechanical strength comparable to that of macro-size forceps. We fabricated a full-size micro grasping forceps from the obtained material and conducted a grasping operation verification experiment. The results showed that the forceps deformed to the closed state, opened and closed in all 10 consecutive trials, and no plastic deformation was observed from image comparison, and it was judged to operate within the range of elastic deformation.