Method and Apparatus for Making a Braided Stent with Spherically Ended Wires
AssigneeAMS Research Corporation
InventorsGary Nachreiner, Robert Rykhus, Sidney Hauschild, Mark Polyak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for cutting a braided wire stent to a predetermined length such that a ball or sphere is formed on the end of each cut wire of the stent. These spheres are advantageous in that they provide added comfort to the patient and also act against the other wires of the stent to prevent the stent from becoming unbraided during the process of collapsing and expanding the stent such as is done when the stent is being inserted into a patient. The apparatus releasably holds and precisely positions the wires while the spheres are being formed.
Claims18
A device, insertable into a cutting machine chuck, and temporarily securing a length of stent stock so that the stent stock may be controllably moved relative to a heat source used to cut the stent, the device comprising:
- an elongate mandrel defining an inner channel of a predetermined inside diameter;
- at least one set of at least two angularly spaced apart apertures defined by, and extending radially through, said mandrel into said channel;
- a plurality of inwardly biased, outwardly displaceable pins, slideably housed within said apertures;
- and,
- an elongate activation dowel having:
- an angled portion extending from a front to a rear, said rear having a greater diameter than said front, said angled portion gradually increasing in diameter as it extends from said front to said rear;
- and,
- a cylindrical portion rearward of said angled portion having a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said inner channel.
A device, insertable into a laser cutting machine, constructed and arranged to releasably position stent stock while the cutting machine cuts stents therefrom, the stent stock having an inside diameter and defining a plurality of diamond shaped openings, the device comprising:
- a mandrel having an outside diameter smaller than the inside diameter of the stent stock;
- and,
- a plurality of protuberances operably attached to said mandrel and sized to protrude through the diamond shaped openings, thereby temporarily fixing said stent stock to said mandrel, the protuberances displaceable between an engaged and a disengaged position whereby when said protuberances are in said engaged position, the stent stock is fixed relative to said mandrel, and when said protuberances are in said disengaged position, the stent stock is slideable relative said mandrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.