Spraying device with improved tip and method of manufacture
OwnerIngo Scheerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a precision spraying device having an improved atomizing end for reproducibly forming droplets from small amounts of liquid with improved operational stability and spray pattern quality as well as a method of manufacturing. The invention further provides a method for reproducibly coating substrates using the spraying device of the present invention.
Claims25
A device to disintegrate a liquid into fine droplets using an atomizing gas comprising
- a body having at least a liquid conduit extending from a liquid inlet to a liquid orifice
- and a tip defining a space for receiving the atomizing gas and having an inner tapered section extending to an orifice
- wherein
- the tip is essentially coaxial with the body and an annular gap through which the atomizing gas is expelled is formed between the body and the orifice of the tip
- and at least the orifice of the tip and a portion of the inner tapered section of the tip are machined to minimize the error of concentricity therebetween so that during operation a gas stream with a substantially uniform gas velocity distribution about the perimeter of the annular gap is formed.
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Method to apply a coating to a medical device using a spraying device having a body with a liquid conduit extending from a liquid inlet to a liquid orifice and a tip being essentially coaxial with the body and defining a space for receiving an atomizing gas, the tip having an inner section extending to an orifice with a diameter of less than 1.2 mm for discharging the atomizing gas through an annular gap formed between the body and the orifice of the tip, comprising the following steps:
- feeding a liquid into the liquid conduit and feeding a gas into the gas conduit and forming a gas stream having a substantially uniform gas velocity distribution about the perimeter of the annular gap;
- disintegrating the liquid into fine droplets through the momentum of the gas emerging from the annular gap;
- directing the droplets within the gas stream to the medical device so that the droplet trajectories are uniformly distributed around the extended longitudinal axis of the spraying device;
- and
- forming a coating on the medical device.
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Method to form a reproducible coating on multiple stents using multiple spraying devices comprising the following steps:
- providing multiple stents;
- providing multiple spraying devices having a body with at least a liquid orifice and a tip being essentially coaxial with the body and defining a space for receiving an atomizing gas, the tip having an inner section extending to an orifice for discharging the atomizing gas through an annular gap formed between the body and the orifice of the tip;
- feeding a liquid into each spraying device and feeding a gas into each spraying device and forming a gas stream with a substantially uniform gas velocity distribution about the perimeter of the annular gap;
- disintegrating the liquid into fine droplets through the momentum of the gas emerging from the annular gap so that the variation of the volume median diameter of the sprays produced by the separate spraying devices is less than 2%;
- directing the droplets within the gas streams to the medical devices so that the droplet trajectories are uniformly distributed around the extended longitudinal axis of the spraying device;
- and
- forming a coating on the stents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.