Method of producing a tube for use in the formation of a stent, and such tube

A method of producing a tube for use in the formation of a stent, said method comprising:

• deforming an orientable, thermoplastic polymer tubing in the solid phase by drawing it over a mandrel, where the mandrel has a lead end and an exit end, and through a die, where the die has an entry side and an exit side wherein:
• a drawing mechanism applies a drawing tension to the tubing from the exit end of the mandrel and the exit side of the die, said tension being insufficient to cause tensile failure of the tubing but sufficient to deform the tubing, thereby drawing the tubing over the mandrel and through the die in the solid phase to induce uniaxial or biaxial orientation of the polymer;
• and
• collecting the deformed tubing from the exit end of the mandrel and exit side of the die;
• wherein the orientable, thermoplastic polymer tubing has an inner diameter from 0.5 mm to 4.0 mm, and an outer diameter from 0.9 mm to 15 mm;
• the diameter of the mandrel at its widest point is from 0.01 to 15 mm;
• the wall thickness of the deformed tubing is from 75 to 300 microns;
• and
• wherein the die is a diverging die or a parallel die.