Apparatus for manufacturing balloons for medical devices
First Claim
1. A molding apparatus for fabricating medical device balloons, comprising:
- a free-blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening;
a blow molding chamber downstream of said free-blow molding chamber, said downstream blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening;
means for thermally isolating said free-blow 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 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 molding chamber;
means for axially elongating said parison while a portion of the parison is within said free-blow molding chamber and while another portion of the parison is within said downstream blow molding chamber;
said free-blow molding chamber having means for permitting 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.
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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-busting pressure application. The maximum pre-busting size of the balloon can be tailored depending upon the needs of the particular balloon within a wide range of possible maximum pre-busting sizes. The apparatus and methods facilitate fabrication of the balloons which are subjected to longitudinal elongation or axial orientation and biaxial or radial orientation.
42 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A molding apparatus for fabricating medical device balloons, comprising:
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a free-blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening; a blow molding chamber downstream of said free-blow molding chamber, said downstream blow molding chamber having an infeed opening and an outfeed opening; means for thermally isolating said free-blow 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 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 molding chamber; means for axially elongating said parison while a portion of the parison is within said free-blow molding chamber and while another portion of the parison is within said downstream blow molding chamber; said free-blow molding chamber having means for permitting 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