Apparatus and process for producing porous devices
AssigneeVertera, Inc.
InventorsWei-Hsiang Chang, Stephen Lee Laffoon, Christopher S.D. Lee, David Lee Safranski
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Abstract
In general, in various embodiments, the present disclosure is directed systems and methods for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to systems that include a track assembly, mold assembly, press assembly, and methods for using the same for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In some embodiments, the present systems and methods are directed to processing a polymer at a temperature below a melting point of the polymer to produce a solid piece of polymer with an integrated a porous surface.
Claims30
An apparatus for processing a material, the apparatus comprising:
- a work bench assembly;
- a mold assembly, the mold assembly comprising:
- an outer mold body defining an opening for receiving a mold insert;
- the mold insert comprising a void for receiving a layer of porogen and a piece of thermoplastic material;
- and
- a static weight for applying pressure to the a piece of thermoplastic material;
- a track assembly operatively connected to the work bench assembly, the track assembly comprising:
- a frame;
- at least one track guide operatively connected to the frame, the at least one track guide defining a path of travel for the mold assembly;
- two or more electrical resistance heating elements located under the at least one track guide, wherein the two or more electrical resistance heating elements heat the mold assembly to at least one predetermined processing temperature;
- and
- one or more indexers for moving the mold assembly along the path of travel;
- and
- a press operatively connected to the work bench assembly, the press assembly for applying pressure the piece of the thermoplastic material, wherein the pressure applied by the press is in addition to the pressure applied by the static weight.
An apparatus for processing a material, the apparatus comprising:
- a mold, the mold configured to receive a porogen and a piece of material for processing;
- a track for guiding the mold along a predefined processing path;
- a heating element at a first particular portion of the processing path for heating the material;
- and
- a press for applying force to the material at a second particular portion of the processing path.
An apparatus for producing a porous material, the apparatus comprising four (4) sections, wherein:
- a first section of the apparatus comprises an area for loading a solid piece of material and porogen into a mold;
- a second section of the apparatus comprises a first heating element for heating the solid piece of material to a particular processing temperature;
- a third section of the apparatus comprises a second heating element for holding the processing temperature;
- and
- a further section of the apparatus comprises a press for applying pressure to the piece of material for causing the porogen to displace within a surface of the piece of material.
An apparatus for producing a porous material, the apparatus comprising:
- a means for receiving a particular piece of material and at least one layer of porogen;
- a means for pressing the particular piece of material against the at least one layer of porogen;
- and
- a means for guiding the particular piece of material along a predefined path, wherein the predefined path includes:
- a means for heating the particular piece of material to a particular processing temperature;
- and
- a means for applying pressure to the particular piece of material to displace at least some of the at least one layer of porogen into the particular piece of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.