Innovative geometry to minimize material usage, maintain structural integrity, and improve patient outcomes
Stryker Orthopaedics
Tibial Alignment Jig
Surgeon feedback indicated Stryker’s tibial alignment jigs were needlessly bulky, made bone saw and nail access tricky to navigate, and were difficult for them to select due to a lack of clear differentiation. More of a concept exploratory than working to a detailed product spec, Humanfactors studied the landscape of alignment jigs and got to work. Our concepts explored innovative geometries that would minimize material usage while maintaining structural integrity, thus saving manufacturing expense and making more room with less weight within cases and trays. We also explored ways to make jig selection as rapid and intuitive as possible, applying bold, easy-to-read graphics on the jig’s body. And we provided surgeons with generous countersunk lead-ins for pin placement and saw blade insertion, in some cases even color coding these areas to make access quick and assured.
Design Problem
Surgeon feedback indicated Stryker’s tibial alignment jigs were needlessly bulky, made bone saw and nail access tricky to navigate, and were difficult for them to select due to a lack of clear differentiation. More of a concept exploratory than working to a detailed product spec, Humanfactors studied the landscape of alignment jigs and got to work.
Industrial Design
Humanfactors designed an industry-first visibility feature in color-coating the blade slot, making this thin slit much more visible and easier to align with a sawblade. Color was also added to more legible labeling to make jig identification easier and more accurate. Oversized chamfering was applied to to the blade slot and nail entrances, making them easier and safer to engage.
Engineering
Design constraints were relatively strict - limits on the jig’s total volume of material meant that material added from one area had to be subtracted from another. As such, innovative weight-saving lattices were developed that increased user control while maintaining overall strength. This lattice design also dramatically reduced material consumption, saving weight within cases and trays, and reducing manufacturing costs.
Rapid Prototyping
Design constraints were relatively strict - limits on the jig’s total volume of material meant that material added from one area had to be subtracted from another. As such, innovative weight-saving lattices were developed that increased user control while maintaining overall strength. This lattice design also dramatically reduced material consumption, saving weight within cases and trays, and reducing manufacturing costs.