VascuLathe® represents a revolutionary approach to satisfying the demanding  requirements of stent manufacturing applications. The fully integrated motion  system couples automated material handling functionality with high performance  direct-drive linear and rotary motion capability. The integral linear-rotary design  increases throughput by 2 to 5 times when compared to traditional screw-based or  other manufacturing approaches, while still maintaining submicron tolerances on  tight part geometries.

 The increased throughput gives much needed flexibility in the extremely competitive  stent-manufacturing environment. The higher throughput of the VascuLathe® implies that fewer machines are required to produce an equivalent number of stents  when compared to traditional manufacturing approaches, resulting in lower total  labor costs and reduced floor space requirements. Alternatively, the VascuLathe® can be used to meet increased and varied product demand within the existing  manufacturing space, saving the costs associated with facility expansion.

The Vasculathe® features Aerotech’s Automation 3200 controller (A3200), a 100% digital automation platform. The A3200 consists of a software-based control architecture running on a Windows® compatible platform with intelligent, distributed, networked drives. This advanced control architecture has special path planning functionality that automatically adjusts the cutting speed to minimize path errors in tight stent geometry, maintaining form quality throughout the part. Sophisticated laser control functions automatically adjust the laser power and rep rate to minimize the heat affected zone of the material as a function of the cutting speed. Specialized drive electronics are optimized for the frequent direction reversals encountered in a typical stent profile and help to further minimize following error. Advanced plotting and diagnostic tools display axis performance in real time and process monitoring functions report peak position error, path cut length, and stent cut time at the completion of each part, providing an instantaneous measure of part quality on a piece-by-piece basis.