The manufacturing flexibility resulting from the two-dimensional nature of our strut-formation process facilitates the choice between two alternative strut-formation technologies photo-etching and water jet laser cutting, both of which are much less traumatic to the metal than the usual process of hot LASER cutting applied by our competitors
Photo-etching is a technology adopted from the integrated-circuits industry. Using this technology the stent design is projected onto the flat panel, which then undergoes a chemical etching process removing all areas which have not been masked by the projection.
Water-jet Laser cutting cutting is a unique pattern-formation process, in which a laser beam is delivered through a controlled water-jet. It can only be used for stents cut in the flat form and has the advantage of minimally heating the metal, therefore leaving it unharmed by extreme heat. This process results in much improved metal properties, compared to regular LASER cutting of a tube used by our competitors. The results of this improved process are higher strength and longer fatigue life time of the stents, which are need to withstand repeated bending during their service in the body.
