Hollow-fiber spinning nozzle and method

• US 8,490,283 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Keller, Torsten, Stahl, Jens-Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): Taousakis, Alexander P
• Application Number:
  US12/216,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20080268082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,852 Days
• Field of Search: 294/28, 295/271, 264/172.11, 264/177.14, 425/131.5, 425/192.S, 425/382.2, 425/462, 425/463, 425/72.2, 572/44
• US Class Current: 29/890.142
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 4/022 Processes or materials for the preparation of spinnerettes
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/24 with a hollow structure; Spinnerette packs therefor D01D5/38 takes precedence; producing tubes of plastic material B29D; addition of agents forming hollow filaments D01F1/08
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/34 Core-skin structure; Spinnerette packs therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/217 Spinnerette forming conjugate, composite or hollow filaments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49432 Nozzle making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4998 Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in which supply bores and a nozzle structure connected to these and having a mass discharge opening and a needle with a coagulation agent bore are formed in a base body. At least two plate-shaped bodies structured by means of micro-structure technology are joined together to form the base body.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle comprising the steps of:

structuring at least two plate-shaped bodies by means of microstructure technology to form a base body, said step of structuring starting with a plurality of wafer disks to make a plurality of spinning nozzle structures simultaneously; and

forming coagulation agent/support agent passages and mass supply passages and a nozzle structure connected to said two plate-shaped bodies and having a mass discharge opening and a needle with a coagulation agent/support agent bore in said base body by means of microstructure technology.

2. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of forming a nozzle structure includes making a nozzle of mono-crystalline silicon, gallium arsenide (GaAs) or germanium.

3. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base body has two plates and said step of forming includes cutting out the mass supply passages, a mass flow homogenization zone, a coagulation agent/support agent supply bore and a needle stub in the first plate, and cutting out a nozzle structure with a mass annular gap and a needle with a coagulation agent/support agent bore in said second plate.

4. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base body has two plates and said step of forming includes cutting out a coagulation agent/support agent supply bore in the first plate, and cutting out mass supply passages, a mass flow homogenization zone and a nozzle structure with a mass annular gap and a needle with a coagulation agent/support agent bore in said second plate.

5. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of dividing the plurality of spinning nozzle structures to form individual hollow fiber spinning nozzles.

6. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 5, wherein the individual spinning nozzles are each given a single nozzle structure.

7. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 5, wherein the individual spinning nozzles are each given a plurality of nozzle structures in one nozzle structure compound.

8. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 7, wherein said plurality of nozzle structures in one nozzle structure compound is formed by not separating all of the nozzle structures formed on the wafer disks so as to form a multi-nozzle unit.

17. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base body has a first plate, a second plate adjoining the first plate, and a third plate adjoining said second plate.

18. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 17, wherein said step of forming includes:

cutting out supply passages, a homogenization zone and a needle with a central supply bore in said first plate;

cutting out supply passages, a homogenization zone and a further needle stub with a concentric ring passage and a needle extension in said second plate; and

cutting out a nozzle structure having a central bore and two concentric annular gaps in said third plate.

19. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 17, further comprising the step of dividing the plurality of spinning nozzle structures to form individual hollow fiber spinning nozzles.

20. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 19, wherein the individual spinning nozzles are each given a single nozzle structure.

21. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 19, wherein the individual spinning nozzles are each given a plurality of nozzle structures in one nozzle structure compound.

22. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 21, wherein said plurality of nozzle structures in one nozzle structure compound is formed by not separating all of the nozzle structures formed on the wafer disks so as to form a multi-nozzle unit.

9. A method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in which a coagulation agent/support agent supply bore, mass supply passages and a nozzle structure connected to these and having a mass discharge opening and a needle with a coagulation agent/support agent bore are formed in a base body formed by joining together at least a first plate and a second plate structured by means of microstructure technology, said method comprising:

two-side structuring of a first wafer to form mass supply passages, a mass flow homogenization zone, a coagulation agent/support agent supply bore and a needle stub in the first plate, said structuring being produced with a sequence of lithography processes;

bonding a second wafer to the structured first wafer;

cutting out a nozzle structure with a mass annular gap and a coagulation agent/support agent bore in the second wafer to form the second plate; and

cutting individual spinning nozzles out of the bonded wafers.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of structuring the first wafer includes masks of photoresists and etching processes.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the etching processes include at least one of particular reactive ion etching, deep reactive ion etching and cryo-etching.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said step of bonding includes at least one of anodic bonding and direct bonding.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of cutting out the nozzle structure includes a two-stage etching process in which the coagulation bore is formed first, followed by the nozzle structure and annular gap.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein after said two-stage etching process the structures are etch finished using lithography processes and/or etching processes.

15. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said step of cutting out the individual spinning nozzles is performed by wafer sawing or laser working.

16. The method of manufacturing a hollow fiber spinning nozzle in accordance with claim 9, wherein said step of two-side structuring includes optically aligning lithography masks on both sides of said first wafer.