Helical body with blades for cutting, stirring, removing and cleaning in solids and closed and open tubular shapes. The blades create more points to cut and contact with less material and remove what they cut and withdraw in the same movement. In ear cleaning they reduce the risk of pushing in the cerumen. The helicoid to remove earwax is manufactured with the same processes and machines of the art of swabs, adding two steps, preforming and forming. This one, by placing halves of helicoid molds in bands or cylinders where, by pressure, a vacuum, and heat, they form the blades. The machine produces quantities per minute similar to the current ones. Uses of the invention are possible in cutting and removal of rocks, in mechanical tools for working on metals or hard materials, in medicine for removal and extraction in ducts, veins and arteries, in personal use and domestic utensils where blades replace fibers.

The present invention provides a device for collecting a fluid specimen. The device comprises a water-absorbing end part formed by bonding a first porous water-absorbing film and a second porous water-absorbing film. Preferably, the second porous water-absorbing film and the first porous water-absorbing film are sponge films.

The invention is generally a nasal pharyngeal and oral swab that may be mass-produced via three-dimensional (3D) printing. To achieve the right materials for 3D printing the swabs, exemplary embodiments employ a set of materials that result in a rigid structure that has bendable properties (at least in the neck or stem region of the swab), but more rigid and bridle properties at a breakpoint of the swab. In exemplary embodiments, this may be achieved by constructing the device of a first photosensitive material that is generally soft and bendable when cured, and a second photosensitive material that is generally rigid and brittle when cured, wherein the soft bendable material comprises of about 70% to 90% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab, and the rigid and brittle material comprises of about 30% to 10% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab.

A swab for taking biological samples which has a support rod having an end portion coated with a layer of fibres is provided. Each of the fibres extends in length orthogonally to a surface of the support rod with a respective free end portion. The layer of fibres has hydrophilic properties to allow absorption of biological samples. Each of the fibres is mechanically anchored at a bottom portion thereof to a textile substrate fixed to a surface of the end portion of the support rod.

A swab for collecting a sample includes a swab support, and a swab pile formed at one side of the swab support. The swab pile has a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 deniers and a length of 0.8 to 1.0 mm. A method for manufacturing the swab includes: manufacturing a flocking jig by coating an adhesive on the swab support, performing electric charge to the swab pile, and planting a swab pile into one side of the swab support.

A swab includes a core wire section having a proximal end and a distal end, an integral tip formed on the distal end, and at least one sleeve element received on the core wire section. The at least one sleeve element has a layer of fibers covering the sleeve and disposed on the at least one sleeve element by flocking, the layer of fibers being configured to absorb a quantity of a specimen in the layer of fibers.

Nanofiber swabs are provided as well as methods of use thereof and methods of making.

A fluffing device for cotton swabs has a first body having a central opening admitting a cotton end on a rod of a cotton swab, geared elements within the body engaged to rotate relative to one another, needles attached to individual ones of the geared elements, the needles positioned to penetrate the cotton end of the cotton swab with the swab inserted into the central opening, and a physical input constrained to rotate the geared elements back and forth through a limited arc. The geared elements rotating move the needles in a manner urging portions of the cotton swab away from the rod, expanding and fluffing the cotton end.

The invention is generally a nasal pharyngeal and oral swab that may be mass-produced via three-dimensional (3D) printing. To achieve the right materials for 3D printing the swabs, exemplary embodiments employ a set of materials that result in a rigid structure that has bendable properties (at least in the neck or stem region of the swab), but more rigid and bridle properties at a breakpoint of the swab. In exemplary embodiments, this may be achieved by constructing the device of a first photosensitive material that is generally soft and bendable when cured, and a second photosensitive material that is generally rigid and brittle when cured, wherein the soft bendable material comprises of about 70% to 90% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab, and the rigid and brittle material comprises of about 30% to 10% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab.

A bodily fluid absorbing, fiber flocked modular medical swab includes a prefabricated pre-flocked tip having a pre-flocked braided yarn hollow tube; a pre-flocked hollow plastic tube; a pre-flocked fabric; a pre-flocked yarn band or a pre-flocked narrow fabric band/tape/ribbon base. A swab rod is attached to the pre-flocked tip.