Patent Application - METHOD FOR ATTACHING RADIOPAQUE MARKERS TO A STENT > Summary

Patent Application No. US 20120151744

Published on Jun 21, 2012

Application No. 13/399896

Filed on Feb 17, 2012

Priority Date -

Wu, Patrick P. - Mountain View, CA US (41)

A mandrel for supporting a stent and rollers for pressing a radiopaque marker into a stent are disclosed. The mandrel can have a forward portion for carrying the stent and a rear portion for urging the stent forward portion into a gap between the rollers. The mandrel may be pushed or pulled into the gap, which is sized to allow the rollers to press the marker into engagement with the stent. Prior to moving the mandrel into the gap, the marker may be placed on a surface of the stent or partially inside a recess in the stent. Several markers can be efficiently and uniformly pressed onto the stent by moving the mandrel into the gap in one continuous movement in an axial or lateral direction. Markers can also be pressed onto the stent by placing the stent in the gap and rotating the stent about its central axis.