Apparatus for manufacturing balloons for medical devices
First Claim
1. A molding apparatus for fabricating medical device balloons, comprising:
- a free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening;
a blow molding chamber downstream of said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber, said downstream blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening;
means for thermally isolating said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber from other components of the apparatus including said downstream blow molding chamber;
means for feeding a parison through the infeed opening and outfeed opening of the free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber and through said infeed opening and outfeed opening of the downstream blow molding chamber;
means for supplying pressurized fluid into said parison at a location upstream of said infeed opening of the free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber;
means for axially elongating said parison while a portion of the parison is within said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber and while another portion of the parison is within said downstream blow molding chamber;
said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber having means for permitting biaxial orientation and radial enlargement of the portion of the parison therewithin upon passage thereinto of pressurized fluid from said supplying means; and
said downstream blow molding chamber having means for permitting radial enlargement of the another portion of the parison therewithin upon passage thereinto of pressurized fluid from said supplying means.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for forming dilatation balloons and catheters including same are provided. The balloons are fabricated of a biaxially orientable material such as a nylon or a polyamide material, and they have an inflated, non-distended working profile as well as a stretched inflated profile which is achieved by applying pressure through a dilatation catheter or the like that is in excess of that needed to achieve the inflated, non-distended profile and which is adequate to effect dilatation or the like up to a maximum pre-bursting pressure application. The maximum pre-bursting size of the balloon can be tailored depending upon the needs of the particular balloon within a wide range of possible maximum pre-bursting sizes. The apparatus and methods facilitate fabrication of the balloons which are subjected to longitudinal elongation or axial orientation and biaxial or radial orientation.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A molding apparatus for fabricating medical device balloons, comprising:
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a free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening; a blow molding chamber downstream of said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber, said downstream blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening; means for thermally isolating said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber from other components of the apparatus including said downstream blow molding chamber; means for feeding a parison through the infeed opening and outfeed opening of the free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber and through said infeed opening and outfeed opening of the downstream blow molding chamber; means for supplying pressurized fluid into said parison at a location upstream of said infeed opening of the free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber; means for axially elongating said parison while a portion of the parison is within said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber and while another portion of the parison is within said downstream blow molding chamber; said free-blow biaxial orientation molding chamber having means for permitting biaxial orientation and radial enlargement of the portion of the parison therewithin upon passage thereinto of pressurized fluid from said supplying means; and said downstream blow molding chamber having means for permitting radial enlargement of the another portion of the parison therewithin upon passage thereinto of pressurized fluid from said supplying means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification