Patent ID: 7794644

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a thin-wall, single-piece optical obturator having a wall thickness less than 1.11 mm, the obturator including an integral tip and shaft, the shaft extending along an axis between a proximal end and a distal end with a lumen therebetween, the lumen being sized and configured to receive an optical instrument having a distal end for receiving an image of body tissue, comprising: providing an injection mold, the injection mold including, a mold cavity defining an outside surface of the single-piece optical obturator, a core pin positioned within the mold cavity, the core pin defining an inside surface of the single-piece optical obturator, the distance between an outer surface of the core pin and the surface of the mold cavity being 1.11 mm or less, at least one gate extending into the mold cavity, and at least one core support pin for supporting the core pin within the mold cavity, the at least one core support pin being positioned between a surface of the mold cavity and a surface of the core pin and on the side substantially opposite the at least one gate; and injecting a transparent, molten polymeric material having high flow properties into the injection mold such that the polymeric material flows between the surface of the mold cavity and the core pin.