Insulation of a shaft

1 . An electrically insulated shaft of a microinvasive instrument or for a microinvasive instrument, the electrically insulated shaft comprising:

an electrically conductive shaft component with an outer surface;

an insulation tube configured of an electrically insulating material, which encloses the shaft component and covers the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein the insulation tube is melted or welded as an originally tubular blank onto the outer surface of the shaft component to provide a melted connection or a welded connection of the insulation tube to the electrically conductive shaft component which is a connection in substance of an inner surface of the insulation tube with the outer surface of the electrically conductive shaft component that extends circumferentially around the shaft and extends axially along a length of the insulation tube, wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is configured by the insulation tube being heated to a temperature sufficient to melt or weld the inner surface of the insulation tube to the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein gas bubble formation is prevented in the melted connection or the welded connection and the melted connection or the welded connection is a full surface area connection, which is created with the inner surface of the insulation tube fused along the entire circumferential and axial extent of the outer surface of the shaft component,

wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is a configuration with no gas bubble along the entire circumferential and axial extent based on a melted connection or the welded connection heat progression from one end of the shaft component to another end thereof.

2 . A microinvasive instrument comprising:

an electrically insulated shaft comprising:

an electrically conductive shaft component with an outer surface;

an insulation tube configured of an electrically insulating material, which encloses the shaft component and covers the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein the insulation tube is melted or welded as an originally tubular blank onto the outer surface of the shaft component to provide a melted connection or a welded connection of the insulation tube to the shaft component which is a connection in substance of an inner surface of the insulation tube with the outer surface of the shaft component that extends circumferentially around the shaft and extends axially along a length of the insulation tube, wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is configured by the insulation tube being heated to a temperature sufficient to melt or weld the inner surface of the insulation tube to the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein gas bubble formation is prevented and a full surface area connection is created with the inner surface of the insulation tube fused along the entire circumferential and axial extent of the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is a configuration with no gas bubble along the entire circumferential and axial extent based on a melted connection or the welded connection heat progression from one end of the shaft component to another end thereof;

a manipulating device at a proximal end of the electrically insulated shaft for manually guiding and controlling the microinvasive instrument; and

a tool at a distal end of the shaft.

3 . A microinvasive instrument in accordance with claim 2 , wherein

the microinvasive instrument is configured as an electrosurgical instrument;

the shaft component is a part of an electric circuit for transmitting electric power or an electrical signal.

4 . An electrically insulated shaft of a microinvasive instrument or for a microinvasive instrument, the electrically insulated shaft comprising:

an electrically conductive shaft component with an outer surface;

an insulation tube configured of an electrically insulating material, wherein the insulation tube is dimensionally stable, which encloses the shaft component and covers the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein the insulation tube is melted or welded as an originally tubular blank onto the outer surface of the shaft component to be configured as a melted connection or a welded connection of the insulation tube to the shaft component, which is a full surface area connection of an inner surface of the insulation tube with the outer surface of the shaft component that extends circumferentially around an entire circumferential extent of the shaft component and extends axially along the shaft component for an entire axial length of the insulation tube, wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is configured by the insulation tube being heated progressively, from one end of the shaft component to another end thereof, to a temperature sufficient to melt or weld the inner surface of the insulation tube to the outer surface of the shaft component, wherein gas bubble formation is prevented and a full surface area connection is created with the inner surface of the insulation tube fused along the entire circumferential and axial extent of the outer surface of the shaft component are configured as a structurally unified component, wherein the melted connection or the welded connection is a configuration with no gas bubble along the entire circumferential and axial extent based on a melted connection or the welded connection heat progression from one end of the shaft component to another end thereof.

5 . An electrically insulated shaft according to claim 4 , in combination with a manipulating device and a tool to form a microinvasive instrument, wherein:

the manipulating device is at a proximal end of the electrically insulated shaft for manually guiding and controlling the microinvasive instrument; and

the tool is at a distal end of the shaft.

6 . An electrically insulated shaft according to claim 5 , wherein:

the microinvasive instrument is configured as an electrosurgical instrument;

the shaft component is a part of an electric circuit for transmitting electric power or an electrical signal.