Method for Manufacturing Balloon Catheter by Using Heat-Curable Resin and Apparatus Therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a balloon catheter using a thermosetting resin. The present invention aims to provide an economical method of being capable of very promptly manufacturing a balloon catheter using a thermosetting resin through a continuous process, in which a drying process and a curing process are combined, after release agent application using the curing characteristics of a thermosetting resin.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A method of manufacturing a balloon catheter using a thermosetting resin, the method comprising: a) a process of extruding a first tube (14), on an outer periphery of which an inflation lumen (16) is formed in a longitudinal direction, wherein a spray region and a non-spray region are divided by a spray restriction film (26) upon spray of the release agent; b) a process of spraying a release agent in a non-contact manner to alternately apply the release agent to predetermined sections on an outer periphery of the first tube (14); c) a process of thermally curing a resin and drying the release agent using a heater; and d) a process of coating an outside of the first tube (14) with a balloon material to manufacture a balloon catheter tube (50), in which a balloon is repeatedly formed, in a longitudinal direction.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: a process of periodically sucking a residual of the sprayed release agent through suction holes (34) formed in the spray restriction film (26).

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: a process of installing a heating wire at the spray restriction film (26) to evaporate an accumulated residual of the release agent.

12. A device for manufacturing a balloon catheter using a thermosetting resin, the device comprises: a first extruder (20) configured to extrude a thermosetting resin using a tube manufacturing mold (8) to manufacture a first tube (14); a release agent spraying device (22) disposed at a rear end of the tube manufacturing mold (8) and configured to alternately apply a release agent to a predetermined part on an outer periphery of the first tube (14); a first heater (38) configured to cure and dry the first tube (14) that has passed through the release agent spraying device (22), and the coated release agent; a second extruder (40) configured to extrude and cover a coating layer (46) on the outer periphery of the first tube (14), which has passed through the first heater (38), using a coating mold (41); and a second heater (42) configured to cure the first tube (14) on which the coating layer has been formed, wherein the release agent spraying device (22) comprises: a nozzle (24) for spraying a release agent; and a spray restriction film (26) bent to limit a spraying range of a release agent that is sprayed through the nozzle (24).

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the spray restriction film (26) further comprises a release agent residual collection device (30), the release agent residual collection device (30) comprising: a suction pipe (32), inside of which a pipe conduit is formed; a plurality of suction holes (34) formed on inner side surfaces of the suction pipe (32) to suck a residual amount of a release agent; and a hose (36) connected to a vacuum pump so as to apply negative pressure to the suction pipe (32).

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the spray restriction film (26) further comprises a heating means for evaporating a residual release agent accumulated on a predetermined part of the spray restriction film (26).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an existing balloon catheter tube having a 2-way structure.

[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a first extruded tube according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 3a illustrates a spray application process according to an embodiment of the present invention to which a spray restriction film is applied.

[0030] FIG. 3b illustrates the structures of a release agent coating device and a spray restriction film.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a release agent residual collection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates a sectional view of a die used in a second extrusion process according to an embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing state according to the second extrusion process.

[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates a sectional view of each section of a tube according to an embodiment of the present invention in which second extrusion is completed.

[0034] FIG. 7 illustrates a structural diagram of an entire facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE

[0035] Accordingly, when negative pressure is periodically applied to a suction pipe 32 through a suction means such as a compressor (not shown), a residual release agent that flows down inner walls of the spray restriction film 26 may be sucked through the suction holes 34.

[0036] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, provided is a method of heating the spray restriction film 26 itself to immediately evaporate a sprayed release agent accumulated on the spray restriction film 26. That is, when a heating wire (not shown) is installed at a predetermined part of the spray restriction film 26 and is heated to the boiling point of the release agent or to a higher temperature, the residual of the sprayed release agent evaporates immediately upon contact with the spray restriction film 26, so that subsequent defects may be prevented.

[0037] In addition, since the first tube 14 may be cured to some extent by heat of the spray restriction film 26 according to the method, burden on the first heater 38 used after application with the release agent may be reduced.

[0038] A spray coating process with the release agent is performed in a manner of spraying and coating every predetermined tube length in consideration of an extrusion speed of the tube, or in a manner of spraying and coating at regular time intervals.

[0039] Next, the non-cured tube coated with the release agent at regular intervals is fed into the first heater 38. The first heater 38 is generally at about 600° C., and heats the tube in a manner of radiation and convection without contacting the tube to cause crosslinking reaction of the thermosetting material to be cured. Here, the sprayed and coated release agent is also dried by sufficient heat.

[0040] The cured first tube 14, the release agent on which has been dried, is fed into a second extruder 40 having the structure of FIG. 5 and is coated with a balloon material. Since curing of the first tube 14 and drying of the release agent thereon have been completed by the previous process, the first tube 14 may be directly fed into the second extruder 40 without separate processing to produce a balloon catheter tube 50.

[0041] Since a balloon material of the coating layer 46 which is coated and formed in the second extruder 40 is also a thermosetting resin, a second extrusion material is cured through another second heater 42 after the second extruder 40. This structure is similar to the structure of a heater 38 located at a first extruder 20, and a balloon material is cured in a non-contact state to complete a tube wherein balloon catheter tubes having the shape shown in FIG. 6 are repeatedly connected. This tube is appropriately cut in consideration of release agent application sections set above, so that a balloon catheter tube is finally completed.

[0042] If setting of an appropriate length to be cut causes an error due to the elasticity of the balloon catheter tube 50 itself and, accordingly, it is impossible to stably produce a good product, sections coated with a release agent may be cut while observing with a camera, or, for more reliable classification, an ink spraying process together with the spray coating process with a release agent may be performed to continuously produce tubes, and then detect and cut ink-applied portions on the tubes, and discard ink-printed parts.

[0043] Finally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tube 50 of the balloon catheter may be rapidly, simply manufactured using the aforementioned preferred facility shown in FIG. 7.

[0044] Meanwhile, a method of manufacturing a balloon catheter using a thermosetting resin according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment, and may be modified in various forms without departing from the technical gist of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0045] 8: tube manufacturing mold, 9: hollow, [0046] 10: external mold, 12: discharge tube formation mold, [0047] 13: inflation lumen formation protrusion, 14: first tube, [0048] 20: first extruder, 22: release agent coating device, [0049] 24: nozzle, 26: spray restriction film, [0050] 30: release agent residual collection device, 32: suction pipe, [0051] 34: suction hole, 36: hose, [0052] 38: first heater, 40: second extruder, [0053] 41: coating mold, 42: second heater, [0054] 50: balloon catheter tube.