Norman Noble Inc., Highland Heights, Ohio, announces that it has developed an athermal laser machining process that represents an advancement of several magnitudes in medical device production. The technology makes it possible to produce next-generation bioabsorbable scaffolds and Nitinol-based micro-implant designs that could not previously be manufactured with current technologies.
The company’s S.T.E.A.L.T.H. (System To Enable Ablation Laser Technology Haz-free), is an ultra-short-pulse proprietary laser system integrated by Norman Noble to create highly precise features in any material, including bioresorbable polymers, shape memory metals (Nitinol), and other exotic alloys, without producing any heat affected zone.
It can reduce and in some cases eliminate costly deburring and post-processing steps. It can increase product quality and yield to previously unattainable levels, and leaves the machined geometry intact. Accordingly, the Noble S.T.E.A.L.T.H. produces the narrowest laser-cut kerfs in the industry at kerf widths of 0.00045 inch in Nitinol and 0.00025 inch in bioresorbable materials.
In addition to enabling production of new designs, Noble S.T.E.A.L.T.H. provides increased flexibility within existing designs, which can then be manufactured three times faster than they can be with current laser machining technologies.
