Design and Fabrication of Injection Molds to Manufacture Double Channel Laryngoscope for Effective Airway Management: Taguchi Method for Surface Roughness Optimization

Abstract

The present work focuses on the mold design and production of the multifunctional device laryngoscope with surface quality through the injection molding process. A laryngoscope is a device used by anesthesiologists to lift the tongue that facilitates to fix the air pipe in the larynx. Demand still exists in the laryngoscope part to assist anesthesiologists to take care of the airway without causing chest compression and ensure visualization of vocal cords. Therefore, the present work aims at developing a laryngoscope with a double channeled device, wherein one for aligning the camera and another for the air pipe. The paper outlines the design parameters required for manufacturing a single cavity mold to produce a laryngoscope viz. injection molding machine. The mold has multiple plates with complex fluid channels which ensures effective thermal management in-mold system. The mold is manufactured using high-strength tool steel materials and the product laryngoscope (ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) is fabricated from the designed mold. Taguchi L9 experimental array was used to determine the optimal conditions (injection pressure, injection velocity, mold and melt temperature) for desired surface finish in the laryngoscope parts. The designed mold and optimized injection molding conditions resulted in a lower surface roughness value equal to 0.214 µm. Thereby, injection-molded laryngoscope parts can be used for large-scale productions for the benefit of medical applications.