Stent Processing at the Limit of Tube Handling
Stent production pushes tube laser processing to its limits. A manufacturer working in Nitinol and stainless steel needed single-digit micron features in tube with a 14 mm outer diameter and a 100 micron wall. The same platform had to run fiber and femtosecond sources, more than double throughput and fit a constrained factory floor. Heat-affected zones had to stay small enough to preserve the material’s ductility.
The constraint was not the laser. It was the dynamic performance of the motion system positioning the tube. Simulation studies and three decades of tubular processing experience shaped a system built on Automation1 drives and controls with the motion development kit, applied to LaserTurn and VascuLathe platforms. The manufacturer met its throughput target without giving up part quality or feature size.
