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AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Inc.
InventorsJames L. Kurk, Chad Q. Cai, Steven D. Kruse, Yi-Ren Woo
Estimating the term…
Improved dip coating methods and mandrels for forming polymer leaflets and valve prostheses generally involve one or more features on the mandrel that facilitate the processing. The mandrel has a top surface and an outer surface comprising a plurality of ridges and contoured surfaces extending to the ridges. An edge on the mandrel separates the top surface and the contoured surfaces, with the mandrel edge corresponding to the free edge of the leaflet. In preferred embodiments, the edge separating the top surface from the contoured surfaces is sharp. The polymer formed on the top surface can be efficiently separated from the remaining portions of the polymer structure to form the free edges of the leaflets.
A mandrel comprising a top surface, and an outer surface comprising a plurality of ridges and contoured surfaces extending between the ridges corresponding to polymer leaflets, wherein an edge on the mandrel separates the top surface and the contoured surfaces, with the mandrel edge corresponding to the free edge of the leaflets, said mandrel edge having a radius of curvature of no more than about 0.25 millimeters.
A mandrel comprising an outer surface having a plurality of ridges and contoured surfaces extending between the ridges corresponding to polymer leaflets in a closed configuration, wherein contoured surfaces corresponding to the leaflets meet contoured surfaces of adjacent leaflets at an edge, said edge having a radius of curvature of no more than about 0.25 millimeters.
A mandrel for forming leaflets of valved prostheses, the mandrel comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.