Process for laser joining dissimilar metals and endoluminal stent with radiopaque marker produced thereby
First Claim
1. A process for laser joining a first metal with a second metal, the first metal comprising an element of a stent adapted for endoluminal deployment and having a first reflectance curve as a function of wavelength, the second metal comprising a radiopaque marker relative to the first metal and having a second reflectance curve, die first metal having a sufficiently lesser reflectance than the second metal outside an optimal range of wavelengths over which the first reflectance curve and the second reflectance curve essentially overlap such that laser processing at a wavelength outside the optimal range exposes the first metal to a risk of excessive melting, vaporization, or cutting through the first metal clement, the process comprising placing the first metal in contact with the second metal and exposing at least one of the first metal and second metal to a laser beam having a wavelength selected from the optimal range of wavelengths, the process comprising first creating pitholes in the first metal stent element and then filling the pitholes with the second metal.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process for laser joining a first metal, having a first reflectance curve as a function of wavelength, such as nitinol or stainless steel, and a second metal, having a second reflectance curve, such as gold. The process comprises placing the first and second metals in contact with one another then exposing at least one of the first metal and second metal to a laser beam having a wavelength selected from an optimal range of wavelengths over which the reflectance curves of the two metals essentially overlap. The first metal may comprise a first metal element having a sufficiently low heat sink capacity and a sufficiently lesser reflectance than the second metal at wavelengths outside the optimal range of wavelengths such that laser joining at such wavelengths exposes the first metal to a risk of excessive melting, vaporization, or cutting through the first metal element. The first metal element may be a stent adapted for endoluminal deployment, wherein the second metal is a radiopaque marker relative to the first metal. A stent produced by this process may comprise one or more first metal elements with a radiopaque marker metal attached to one or more portions of at least one element, the radiopaque marker comprising the second metal attached to the first metal by a weld, a clad layer of the second metal over the first metal, or an alloy layer of the two metals over the first metal.
-
Citations
21 Claims
- 1. A process for laser joining a first metal with a second metal, the first metal comprising an element of a stent adapted for endoluminal deployment and having a first reflectance curve as a function of wavelength, the second metal comprising a radiopaque marker relative to the first metal and having a second reflectance curve, die first metal having a sufficiently lesser reflectance than the second metal outside an optimal range of wavelengths over which the first reflectance curve and the second reflectance curve essentially overlap such that laser processing at a wavelength outside the optimal range exposes the first metal to a risk of excessive melting, vaporization, or cutting through the first metal clement, the process comprising placing the first metal in contact with the second metal and exposing at least one of the first metal and second metal to a laser beam having a wavelength selected from the optimal range of wavelengths, the process comprising first creating pitholes in the first metal stent element and then filling the pitholes with the second metal.
Specification