Inline application of coatings
AssigneesCook Incorporated, Sabin Corporation
InventorsScott Eells, David Lessard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a coated medical device is described. A coating may be applied inline to a continuous tubing formed by extrusion, prior to cutting and secondary operations. Thus, inefficient and labor-intensive steps associated with preparing individual tubes for coating may be avoided. The method may include forcing a flowable material through an exit port of an extruder, depositing a coating onto at least a portion of the continuous length of extruded tubing after the tubing is forced through the exit port, cutting the coated tubing to a desired length after depositing the coating, and performing one or more secondary operations on the coated tube at a temperature in the range of from about 15° C. to about 375° C.
Claims20
A method for producing a coated medical device, comprising:
- forcing a flowable material through an exit port of an extruder, thereby forming a continuous length of extruded tubing;
- depositing a coating onto at least a portion of the extruded tubing after the extruded tubing is forced through the exit port, thereby forming a coated tubing;
- cutting the coated tubing to a desired length after depositing the coating, thereby forming a coated tube;
- and
- performing one or more secondary operations on the coated tube at a temperature in the range of from about 15° C. to about 375° C., thereby forming a coated medical device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.