This week was a big push toward getting our next builds fully assembled and tested. Build 3 is officially finished, and we completed coagulation and depth testing for both Build 2 and Build 3. A lot of the work this week revolved around making sure the electrical and mechanical pieces actually came together reliably in hardware.
The conductive epoxy on the electrodes and tape to keep it tight and in place. This for Build 3
On the electrical and integration side, conductive epoxy was applied using a taped compression method to improve bond quality between components. We also added heat shrink to the saline tubing connections to reinforce the seal and improve overall robustness of the fluid path. These small process improvements are already making the assemblies feel more repeatable compared to earlier prototypes.
We also moved forward on the electronics pipeline. The team placed an order for the next batch of PCBs after reviewing cost and vendor constraints. There was some back and forth on sourcing since we are currently limited on which vendors we are allowed to use, but we were able to identify an acceptable supplier and proceed. These boards will support the newer clip based electrical approach we plan to integrate into upcoming builds. We got 9 PCBs.
The left one (Blue shaft) is build 2 and the right one (Brown shaft) is build 1. The black area on the tube is the heat shrink
From a testing readiness standpoint, we coordinated additional materials and logistics for continued validation. Requests were prepared for more i90 handles from Arthrex since our current inventory is becoming a bottleneck for parallel builds. The next focus is to compare the data collected from Builds 2 and 3, begin integrating the new PCB clip method into the handle models, and start developing a silicone mold for epoxied handle components.