Roche Diabetes Care, Inc.

Roche Diagnostics Operations, Inc.

Roche Diagnostics Gmbh

F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ag

Marzellinus Zipfel

Angel Lopez-Mras

Patrick Griss

Angel Lopez

Angel Lopez Mras

A method is disclosed for the mask-etching of a piercing element having an elongate shaft, a distally protruding tip, a proximal holding part, and a laterally open collecting channel that collects bodily fluid and extends along the shaft as far as the area of the tip, wherein a side of a double-sided etching mask is applied respectively to the two sides of a substrate and, under the action of an etching agent, the piercing element is formed as a part made by chemical blanking, wherein a channel side of the etching mask is provided with a channel etching slit for unilateral etching of the collecting channel.

Method for the mask-etching of a piercing element

The sheet metal or substrate materialis constructed by a photo-chemical machining or milling method. In this exemplary process, an etching maskis applied to both sides of the substrateand covers the structure of the flat-shaped member, which is to be uncovered in a subsequent etching step. The maskis formed by coating the substratewith a photoresist and is exposed through a photomask having the desired pattern that is arranged in front of the mask, whereby the photoresist is polymerized or hardened in the covered areas while the other areas are rinsed away after development.

Method for producing a pricking element

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Freiburg, Germany

Marzellinus Zipfel