1. Mikaela Coose
Matt Dowell
Cecily Fico

2.  Dog suffers from severe Dry Eye Syndrome (DES)
 Expensive Cyclosporine Treatment
 Tube of 3.5 grams costs $40.00

3.  Patients find it increasingly difficult to utilize the
full value of expensive salve medicine due to the
current structure of medical tubes.
 Design and Develop an innovative medical tube
that allows patients to more adequately utilize
the full value of costly salve medicine.

4.  Current Solutions:
 Cut Existing Tube – Safety /
Contamination
 Accordion Tube – Inaccuracy /
Lose salve in multiple creases
 External Tube Squeezer –
Inaccuracy/ Internal waste

5.  IDEA #1
CUBE TUBE
 IDEA #3
CONE PLUNGER TUBE
 IDEA #4
REUSABLE TUBE
 IDEA #2
FLAT PLUNGER TUBE

6. CRITERIA | IDEA #1 #2 #3 #4
AESTHETICS 1-5 2 3 4 3
ERGONOMICS 1-5 2 4 4 2
MANUFACTURING 1-5 4 3 3 2
EFFICIENCY 1-5 2 3 5 1
MARKETABILITY 1-5 1 3 5 2
TOTAL 5-25 11 16 21 10
IDEA #1 CUBE TUBE 11
IDEA #2 FLAT PLUNGER TUBE 16
IDEA #4 REUSABLE TUBE 10
IDEA #3 CONE PLUNGER TUBE 21

7.  Advantages vs. Current Medical Tubes
 Plunger that drives salve out nozzle w/ease
 Safety – Seal ensures zero leakage
 Ecofriendly - Recyclable plastic
 Accuracy – Dispense markings
 Economical – More efficient = Less waste = $$$
 Beneficial for the following individuals:
 Elderly or Individuals w/Arthritis
 Handicap/Disabled (Limited Motor Skills)
 Anyone Looking to Save Money

8.  ABS Plastic
Inexpensive for early prototypes
 VeroWhite Polyjet Plastic
More flexible
 Medical Plastic - High Density Polyethylene
Molding capability
ABS VeroWhite

9.  Leiter’s Compounding Pharmacy – Charles Leiter, Pharm.D.
 Design Elements
 Gateway Technical College - Greg Chapman
 Manufacturing / Sponsor
 Molitor’s Pet & Bird Clinic – Dr. Phil Molitor
 Critical Analysis
 Burlington Pharmacy Station – Karen MacKinnon, RPh
 Application

10.  Equations
Volume = hr² + hr²÷3 = 0.967 in³ = 15.85 cc
Volume Flow Rate = A₁₁ = A₂₂ = 0.0601 in³/s = 3.985 cc/s
Dispensation per 60º = 0.020 in³ = 0.328 cc

11. CAP
TWISTER RODO-RING
BODY
PLUNGER

13. CAP
TWISTER ROD
O-RING
BODY
PLUNGER
STOPPER

14. ITEM QTY VOLUME VENDOR COST
BODY 1 1.392 in³ STRATASYS $18.84
TWISTER ROD 1 0.604 in³ STRATASYS $8.18
PLUNGER 1 0.709 in³ STRATASYS $9.60
CAP 1 0.176 in³ STRATASYS $2.38
3/16” O-RING 1 0.017 in³ MENARDS $0.59
SUPPORT MATERIAL N/A 10.130 in³ STRATASYS $20.75
TOTAL $60.34
 MASS PRODUCTION COST ANALYSIS
 825,000 cycles per injection mold (1 mold = 1 ecoTUBE)
 $18,000 to make molds
 $0.16 per lb. (HDPE) ; 0.11 lb. per ecoTUBE
 TOTAL COST = $0.04 per ecoTUBE

15. 1. UPLOAD PART FILES TO
3-D PRINTER SOFTWARE
2. PRINT ON 3-D PRINTER
(AFINIA / OBJET24)
3. REMOVE EXCESS
SUPPORT MATERIAL

16.  O-RING TO SEAL TUBE AND PREVENT LEAKAGE
 REMOVED THREADS ABOVE PLUNGER TO PREVENT LEAKAGE
 THINNER SIDE WALLS TO REDUCE MATERIAL WASTE
 NEW CLIPS TO LATCH TWISTER ROD INTO TUBE
 NEW CAP W/HALF THREAD TURN DESIGN FOR EASE OF USE
 DIAL MARKINGS TO INDICATE QUANTITY DISPENSED

17.  Compounded Control Salve
70% Petroleum Jelly, 30% Mineral Oil
 Insert Twister Rod into Body
 Twist dial clockwise to dispense

18.  Through this engineering project we have learned
and experienced the finer details of the
challenging design process, including prototype
modeling and product manufacturing.
 We believe our final user-friendly ecoTUBE allows
patients to more adequately utilize the full value
of salve medicine.