Development of Hydrophobic Surgical Forceps using Powder Injection Molding and Surface Treatment

Hydrophobic surgical forceps of end-effectors for laparoscopic operations or minimally invasive surgery were developed through powder injection molding (PIM) and surface treatment. Processing conditions for mixing, debinding, and sintering were investigated to produce defect-free components. An optimum solid loading was determined by torque rheometry experiments. The optimized processing conditions for debinding and sintering were designed through the measurement of weight loss and shrinkage behavior by thermogravimetric analysis and dilatometry experiments. After producing the surgical forceps based on the optimized processing conditions via PIM, surface treatment was carried out to generate the hydrophobic structure on the surface.