Process for manufacturing braided composite prosthesis

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of strands for interbraiding at a braiding station, said strands including elastically and plastically deformable structural strands formed of metal and having an original nominal shape;
• moving said strands in concert toward the braiding station;
• while so moving the structural strands, controllably plastically deforming the structural strands to impart to each structural strand a selected nominal shape;
• and
• after plastically deforming the structural strands, braiding the strands into an integrated structure, and selectively orienting the structural strands while braiding to impart a predetermined configuration to the integrated structure.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of thermally formable structural strands having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands by winding the structural strands around a selectively sized and shaped mandrel, then heating the strands while so wound to a heat-forming temperature sufficient to thermally impart to each of the structural strands a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original shape;
• and
• after said altering, interbraiding the textile strands and the structural strands into an integrated structure.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of structural strands formed of metal and having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands by bending each of the strands about a form having a selected radius while maintaining the strands at a selected tension, to selectively plastically deform the structural strands thereby imparting to each structural strand a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, interbraiding the textile strands and the structural strands into an integrated structure.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of structural strands formed of structural material having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands to impart to each of the structural strands a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, interbraiding the textile strands and the altered structural strands into an integrated structure by forming the structural strands into a latticework that shapes the integrated structure, and by forming the textile strands into a textile sheeting supported by the latticework, conforming to the latticework, and occupying interstices between adjacent structural strands of the latticework.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing at least one structural strand formed of a structural material and having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the at least one structural strand while the at least one strand remains separate from the textile strands, to impart to each said structural strand a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, interbraiding the textile strands and the at least one structural strand into an integrated structure in which the at least one structural strand provides a tubular shape of the integrated structure and the textile strands form a textile sheeting supported by the at least one structural strand and adapted to compliantly conform to changes from the predetermined shape due to deformations of the at least one structural strand.