Dryers for removing solvent from a drug-eluting coating applied to medical devices

Abstract

A coating device for coating a medical device with a drug-eluting material uses an in-process drying station between coats to improve a drug release profile. The drying station includes a dryer having a telescoping plenum which provides a shield and drying region for the stent or scaffold to reside while a heated gas is passed over the stent/scaffold. The shield and drying region improve efficiency in drying, predictability or drug release rate, uniformity of coating material properties lengthwise over the stent/scaffold and provide a platform that can effectively support stents that are over 40 mm in length.

Claims

1. A method for applying a composition to a stent, comprising the steps of: spraying the composition on the stent; and drying the stent, including the steps of moving a drying region towards the stent or the stent towards the drying region to place the stent within the drying region, the drying region being surrounded by a shield having at one end an opening and, at an opposite end, a mouth of a dryer nozzle directly over or under the opening, wherein the stent or drying region is moved towards the other when the stent is over or under the mouth, and the stent passes through the opening when placed in the drying region, drying the stent using a heated gas that passes through the nozzle and exits from the mouth at a gas velocity, passes over the stent while the stent occupies the drying region, and exits the drying region through the opening, wherein gas pressure produced by the heated gas prevents air external of the shield from being drawn into the drying region from the opening, and after drying the stent, moving the drying region away from the stent or the stent away from the drying region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving step includes the shield being raised or lowered when a mandrel supporting the stent is over or under, respectively, the shield to place the stent into the drying region.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the step of disposing a proximal end and a distal end of the mandrel within alignment grooves of the shield, and rotating the mandrel when the drying gas is applied and the ends sit in the grooves.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the stent is supported on a mandrel, the drying step further including an actuator gripping a distal end of the mandrel when the stent is over or under the shield.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving step includes the step of expanding a plenum of the dryer to place the stent in the drying region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a size of the opening is the same as a size of the mouth.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a housing of the nozzle comprises the shield.

8. A method for applying a composition to a stent, comprising the steps of: spraying the composition on the stent; moving the stent below or above a drying assembly, the drying assembly comprising a dryer nozzle and a shield, wherein the nozzle comprises a mouth and internal diffusers, the shield has a depth, and comprises a base and an opening separated from the base by the depth, the opening is located directly below or above the base, and the base is coupled to the mouth; placing the stent within a drying region surrounded by the shield, wherein the stent passes through the opening when entering the drying region; and while the shield surrounds the stent, drying the stent using a heated gas that exits from the dryer mouth, enters the drying region, and exits the drying region through the opening.

9. The method of claim 8, further including supporting the stent above or below the assembly before the shield surrounds the stent.

10. A method for applying a composition to a stent, comprising the steps of: spraying the composition on the stent; moving the stent below or above a drying assembly including a shield coupled to a mouth of a dryer; and while the shield surrounds the stent, drying the stent using a heated gas that exits from the dryer mouth wherein the moving step further includes increasing a length of a plenum of the drying assembly so as to surround the stent with the shield.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the drying assembly is a telescoping drying assembly.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein a steady state gas flow rate is applied to the dryer when the composition is being sprayed on the stent such that a rate of solvent removal is substantially constant during when the stent is above or below the drying assembly including monitoring a gas temperature and if the gas temperature deviates from the drying temperature increasing or decreasing the gas temperature to maintain the steady state value.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein gas passing through the nozzle is mixed by forcing the gas through the internal diffusers in order to produce a uniform property of the heated gas exiting from the nozzle mouth, wherein the uniform property is a gas temperature that varies over a length of the stent by less than 1 degree C.

14. The method of claim 11, further including the step of retracting the telescoping dryer assembly, followed by spraying the composition on the stent a second time.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the shield has a first and second notch for receiving respective first and second portions of a mandrel located on opposite sides of the stent.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the stent and mandrel are rotating when the gas is applied.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the shield has a first and second notch for receiving respective first and second portions of a mandrel located on opposite sides of the stent.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas passing through the nozzle is mixed by forcing the gas through internal diffusers in order to produce a uniform property of the heated gas exiting from the nozzle mouth, wherein the uniform property is a gas temperature that varies over a length of the stent by less than 1 degree C.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A is side view of a dryer assembly in a first, retracted position according to one aspect of the disclosure.

(2) FIG. 1B is side view of the dryer assembly in a second, expanded position according to another aspect of the disclosure.

(3) FIG. 2 summarizes a process for coating a stent including a spraying step and in-process drying step using the dryer assembly of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the dryer assembly.

(5) FIG. 4 is a front perspective, exploded assembly view of the dryer assembly showing component parts according to a preferred embodiment.

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a base cap of the dryer assembly of FIG. 4.

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a diffuser housing of the dryer assembly of FIG. 4.

(8) FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of left and right grippers of a mandrel gripper of the dryer assembly of FIG. 4.

(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a base housing of the dryer assembly of FIG. 4.

(10) FIG. 9 is a schematic of a control system that may be used with the dryer assembly to minimize transient flow or wait time and conserve dryer resources while a coating is being applied to a stent.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(11) According to a preferred implementation of the invention, a sprayer and dryer nozzle is used to form a drug-eluting coat on a surface of a stent. A stent is an intravascular prosthesis that is delivered and implanted within a patient's vasculature or other bodily cavities and lumens by a balloon catheter for balloon expandable stents and by a catheter with an outer stent restraining sheath for self expanding stents. The structure of a stent is typically composed of scaffolding, substrate, or base material that includes a pattern or network of interconnecting structural elements often referred to in the art as struts or bar arms. A stent typically has a plurality of cylindrical elements having a radial stiffness and struts connecting the cylindrical elements. Lengthwise the stent is supported mostly by only the flexural rigidity of slender-beam-like linking elements, which give the stent longitudinal flexibility. Examples of the structure and surface topology of medical devices such as a stent and catheter are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,665, 4,800,882, 4,886,062, 5,514,154, 5,569,295, and 5,507,768.

(12) As discussed earlier, one aspect of the stent coating process that has been simplified, or improved, as a result of the dryer according to the disclosure, is the ability to predict more consistently the rate of solvent removal and variation of that rate over the length of the stent. Increasing the predictability of a solvent's presence in the applied coating, or remaining when determining a final weight can greatly increase the ability and/or efficiency in which a predictable release rate for a drug can be provided in a medical device, in the form of an applied coating.

(13) Moreover, as the design or desired loading of polymer-drug on the stent is determined from the measured weight, it will be readily appreciated that there needs to be an accurate, reliable and repeatable process for being able to determine the amount and distribution of solvent remaining over the length of the stent. This is especially true when less volatile solvents are used, e.g., DMAc as opposed to the more volatile solvent Acetone. Since it is expected that a greater percentage of solvent will remain after drying for solvents having higher boiling points, the coating is more susceptible to variations in a solvent's presence over the stent surface and/or across the coating thickness. Also when drying a polymer Acetone mixture, the rate and uniformity of drying affects the % crystallinity and thus the amount of locked in residual solvent.

(14) The disclosure provides examples of spraying/drying components suited for addressing the previously discussed drawbacks and limitations in the art pertaining to a drug-eluting coating applied via a drug-polymer dissolved in a solvent.

(15) FIGS. 1A-1B show side views of a telescoping dryer 10 (dryer 10) according to one aspect of the disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a flow process for applying, via a spray apparatus, a composition, i.e., drug-polymer coating dissolved in a solvent, to a stent including applying one or more coats of the sprayed composition followed by a drying step that may include using dryer 10. Accordingly, the dryer 10 may be included as a component to a stent coating apparatus. Such a stent coating apparatus implementing the process of FIG. 2 includes a sprayer, the dryer 10 and actuators for placing the stent between a spraying area or chamber and a drying area for performing a drying step, or solvent removal step, between each of several coatings of composition sprayed onto the stent. Examples of a stent coating apparatus that may adopt principles of the disclosure are described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/497,133; 12/027,947 and 11/764,006. In these examples, the dryer(s) described therein may instead utilize a dryer according to the disclosure, as will be understood.

(16) Referring, briefly, to side views of the dryer 10 as depicted in FIGS. 1A-1B, after one or more coatings are applied by a sprayer, the stent (supported on a mandrel 15) is moved into position over the dryer 10, as indicated in FIG. 1A. Mandrel grippers 60 then engage a distal end 15a of the mandrel 15 to account for any slight misalignments of the stent position over the dryer exit or mouth and stabilize the stent as it rotates and is impacted by gas exiting from the dryer plenum. A diffuser housing 30 telescopes or deploys from a base housing 20 (using a linear actuator mechanism 50) to place or enclose the stent within a shield 32, as indicated in FIG. 1B. After the drying step is complete, the diffuser housing 30 retracts back into the base housing 20, the grippers 60 are released from the mandrel end 15a and the stent moved back to the spraying station to apply the next coating. These steps of a stent coating process are summarized in FIG. 2.

(17) FIGS. 1A and 1B show the stent positioned above the dryer 10. However, the stent may alternatively be located below the dryer 10. In such an arrangement, the shield 32 would be placed above the stent and the drying gas directed downward, rather than placed below the stent and directed upward, respectively, as depicted in these drawings.

(18) The stent, supported on the mandrel 15, is rotated by a rotary mechanism (not shown) coupled to the mandrel 15 as the sprayer applies a drug-polymer dissolved in a solvent, e.g., DMAc or Acetone, to the surface of the stent. This rotary mechanism is also used to rotate the stent while it is disposed within the shield 32 to facilitate uniform removal of solvent about the circumference of the stent during drying. A mass of heated gas exits from the mouth of the dryer (at a base of the shield 32) to accelerate the evaporation, or boiling-off of solvent from the coated stent surface. In a preferred embodiment, this sprayer-dryer coating process is repeated until a final coating weight of drug-polymer and remaining solvent is measured. During each drying stage the gas is capable of producing a uniform heat transfer across the surface of stents or scaffolds, even for stents or scaffolds having lengths of 100 mm, 150 mm, and 200 mm.

(19) A coating process according to FIG. 2 may be preprogrammed, or programmed on the fly to adjust parameters such as number of coats, or passes with the sprayer between drying steps, number of cycles of spraying and drying, etc. These and related parameters may be governed by the polymer-drug or solvent used, type of stent or medical device being coated, e.g., surface geometry. In particular embodiments the protocol for coating a stent may be governed by a predetermined number of coating cycles, i.e., spraying then drying, based on an analytically determined final coating weight, or by intermittent weighing of the stent to determine the number of cycles needed to arrive at the target coating weight.

(20) FIGS. 3 and 4 show an assembled rear perspective view and exploded front perspective assembly view, respectively, of the dryer 10. A mouth or exit of the dryer 10 is present at the base of the shield 32 and has dimensions the same as an opening of the shield 32; in other words, the walls forming the shield 32 are parallel to each other or the cross-sectional area of the entrance to the drying region surrounded by the shield 32 is the same as the cross-sectional area of the opening through which the stent passes when entering/exiting the drying region. A gas supply is connected to an entrance of the dryer 10 provided by the base housing 20. The drying gas, e.g., heated nitrogen or air, is supplied through a gas supply 2b connected to a heater assembly 2. The heater assembly 2 includes a tubular conduit with heating coils exposed to the gas stream as it travels towards the dryer entrance 9. The coils are connected to a power source via a power connection.

(21) A plenum of the dryer 10 is formed by internal volumes of the base housing 20, the diffuser housing 30 and a base cap 70. Perspective views of the base cap 70 and diffuser housing 30 are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. A hole in the dryer base housing 20 (hidden from view) is formed to co-align with a similar shaped hole in the base cap 70 (also hidden from view) to provide a passage for gas into the interior of the base cap 70. The hole or passage for gas through the base housing 20 includes a threading to sealingly engage a complimentary threaded fitting 2c of the heated gas supply. Gas entering through this passage passes directly into the interior of the base cap 70, exits through a hole 72 formed at the top of the base cap 70 then passes up through the diffuser housing 30. The base cap 70 and diffuser housing 30 are contained within the base housing 20 when fully assembled.

(22) To account for any thermal energy loss for gas near the walls of the housings 20, 30 one or more mixing regions are provided within the diffuser housing 30 so that the gas entering the drying region surrounded by the shield 32 has a more uniform heat transfer across the length of the stent. Preferably three mixing regions are used for dryer 10. Each mixing region is formed by a diffuser screen 42 and spacer 40. Each screen and spacer are stacked on top of each other, as indicated in FIG. 4. From tests it was found that three spacers and screen assemblies were sufficient to cause no more than about a 1 degree Celsius temperature difference within the drying region during a drying step.

(23) FIG. 4 indicates the order of assembly of the portions forming the plenum of the dryer 10, i.e., diffuser housing 30, base cap 70, base housing 20 and spacers and screens 40, 42. The three spacers and screens 40, 42 are placed inserted within the diffuser housing 30 and may be held in place by pins at the edge 31. The diffuser housing 30 is placed within the dryer base 20 through a bottom edge 24 thereof. The dryer housing 20 and diffuser housing 30 are then placed on the base cap 70 such that a lower edge 24 of the dryer housing 20 rests on a lower flange 76 of the base cap 70. The lower spacer 40a rests on an upper surface 74 of the base cap 70. The base housing 20 is press-fit onto the base cap 70 to provide a fluid-tight seal between the walls of the two structures. This assembled configuration of the dryer 10 is depicted in FIG. 1A.

(24) As mentioned above, gas travels from the gas supply into the interior of the base cap 70, though the exit hole 72 and then through the diffuser housing 30. When the diffuser housing 30 is lifted up to position the stent within the drying region surrounded by the shield 32 (FIG. 1B), the spacer 40a lifts off the surface 74 of the base cap 70. To ensure gas passes directly from the base cap into the diffuser housing 30, a tight but slidable fit is formed between the interior walls of the housing 20 and a lower flange 31 of the diffuser housing 30. In essence, this fit maintains a desired gas pressure within the plenum while the dryer 10 is expanded (or housing 30 lifted) to receive the stent in the drying region, and while allowing the diffuser housing 30 to be moved up and down by the actuator 50 while the housing 20 and base cap 70 remain stationary (FIG. 1B). The travel upwards of the diffuser housing 30 within the base housing 20 is limited by the flange 31. After the diffuser housing 30 has traveled a sufficient distance (to place the stent within the drying region) the flange 31 abuts an upper surface of the opening 22 of the diffuser housing 20, thereby preventing further upward movement. To promote the seal between the interior walls of the housings 20, 30, therefore, the edge 31 slides against along the walls of the housing 20 as the diffuser housing 30 is being moved upwards and downwards within the housing 20 by the actuator 50. More generally, the sliding fit between these telescoping parts enables a plenum pressure to be achieved and maintained (no leaks) while the dryer 10 is retracted/shortened and expanded/lengthened.

(25) As just alluded to, the aforementioned structure, i.e., housings 20, 30 and base cap 70, and mechanism 50 that form the plenum for the dryer 10 may be thought of as a telescoping dryer. Prior to the stent being positioned over the drying region, the diffuser housing 30 is retracted within the base housing 20 to provide clearance for the stent and mandrel 15 to be linearly displaced from the spray station to a position over the drying region. The dryer plenum is then essentially elongated or expanded to bring the stent into the drying region of the diffuser housing 30. Thus, a telescoping dryer assembly is intended to mean an arrangement of housings forming a plenum that slide inward and outward in overlapping fashion in a manner analogous to how a hand telescope slides inward and outward in an overlapping fashion, to thereby provide a variable length channel or internal passage for a pressurized fluid to pass through, i.e., a variable length plenum.

(26) Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the dryer 10 components and actuating mechanisms 55 and 50 are secured to a plate 14, which is connected to a pair of blocks 16 and brackets 12. The actuating mechanism 55 is used to displace left and right grippers 62, 64 towards and away from each other to grip and release, respectively, the distal end 15a of the mandrel 15; this movement being indicated by the left and right arrows G in FIG. 3. A detailed view of each gripper 62, 64 is shown in FIGS. 7A-7B.

(27) The actuating mechanism 50 (e.g., one or more hydraulic actuators, such as air cylinders, operated as part of a servomechanism pre-programmed or controlled by a computer processor to produce the desired movement in the housing 30 in accordance with a drying/spraying process as shown in FIG. 2) is used to raise and lower the diffuser housing 30; this movement indicated by the up and down arrows L in FIG. 3. A connecting plate 54 has a rim, which is placed over the diffusing housing and secured to a top ledge 34 of the diffuser housing 30, and a flange 54a that is secured to a platform 54b that is movable up and down by a pair of air cylinders 56a, 56b. Thus, the actuator causes the plate 54 to pull up on the housing 30 when the plenum is being extended or lengthened (FIGS. 1B and 3), and push down on the housing 30 when the plenum is being retracted or shortened (FIG. 1A). FIG. 3 shows the dryer 10 configuration with the housing 30 raised to position the stent within the drying region surrounded by the shield 32 and the gripper pair 62, 64 gripping the end 15a of the mandrel 15. This is also the configuration shown in FIG. 1B.

(28) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the base cap 70, with the portions identified as previously described. As can be appreciated by comparing the contours of the base cap top surface 74 and the housing 30 (FIG. 6), the dryer 10 preferably has an elongate shape with rounded ends, just as the shield 32 is shaped to receive the stent or scaffold. The base cap 70 may be formed to have walls that are thicker than the housings 20, 30 (see FIG. 1A) to provide increased insulation capability. Since the gas enters here and is redirected 90 degrees to exit from hole 72, there is a greater heat loss possibility than after the gas exits through hole 72. As such, the walls are made thicker and preferably they are made from PEEK. As described earlier, a last step of the assembly for dryer 10 is to press fit the housing 20 (with diffuser housing 30 inside) onto the base cap 70. This last step essentially seals the dyer 10 and forms the interior space for the dryer plenum.

(29) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the diffuser housing 30, with features of this structure as previously described. The shield 32 is elongate with rounded ends to receive the stent or scaffold therein. The shield 32 provides walls 30b that rise up from the ledge 34, which ledge 34 locates the exit opening from the plenum (the dryer mouth) into the drying region surrounded by the shield 32, thereby also reflecting a depth of the shield 32. Gas flowing near the stent and within the drying chamber 32 may exit from the plenum at a relatively low velocity which favorably limits the amount of regress or interference from ambient air. As mentioned earlier, by providing a shield and gas at a lower exit velocity which maintains its heat when exposed to the stent, there is an alternative to the dryer assemblies described in US20110059228 and US20110000427. The mouth of the dryer is located at the base of the shield. The opening provided for the stent is about the same size as the mouth size (not shown in the drawings).

(30) FIGS. 7A and 7B show perspective views of grippers 62, 64, respectively. Each has arms 58a, 58b that form holes 57a, 57a at lower ends thereof to secure the grippers 62, 64 to the actuator mechanism 55 (FIG. 4) using bolts. At the head of the grippers 62, 64 are semicircular and complimentary slots 63a, 63b that are aligned to capture the distal end 15a of the mandrel 15 within a circular passage formed when the slots 63a, 63b are brought together by the actuator mechanism 55 (e.g., one or more hydraulic actuators, such as air cylinders, operated as part of a servomechanism pre-programmed or controlled by a computer processor to produce the desired movement in the grippers in accordance with a drying/spraying process as shown in FIG. 2). V-shaped sections 66, 67, aligned with slots 63a, 63b, function as guiding surfaces to urge the mandrel 15 into the semicircular slots 63a, 63b (see FIGS. 1B and 3). As can be appreciated by inspecting the spacing between the V-shaped section 66 and slot 63a of gripper 62, the closer spacing between the V-shaped section 67 and slot 63b of the gripper 64, the dimension G1 in FIGS. 7A-7B, and the interlocking manner in which the grippers engage the mandrel, as shown in FIG. 3, the V-shaped section 67 is disposed within the space 69 of the gripper 62 when the mandrel end 15a is engaged by the grippers 62, 64. When the stent is moved into position above the shield 32, the grippers 62, 64 come together. Any misalignment of the mandrel end 15a is adjusted by the V-shaped sections engaging the mandrel end 15a and urging it towards alignment with the slots 63a, 63b. When the grippers 62, 64 are moved into contact with each other, the mandrel end 15a is held in place within the circular passage formed by the slots 63a, 63b. This ensures that the stent is being positioned properly within the shield 32 and held in position when the drying gas is passed over the stent. The mandrel end 15a may rotate while it is disposed within the circular passage formed by the slots 63a, 63b.

(31) The walls 30b forming the shield 32 include a first notch 36 disposed at one rounded end, and a second notch 38 disposed at a second or opposed rounded end. These notches 36, 38 are used to allow the mandrel that the stent sits on to lower the stent to within the shield 32 during the drying. When the gas exits, even at a low velocity the stent will oscillate since it rotates which presents a varying surface area to the gas exiting (in addition to the non-laminar or transient flow in and around the stent). The problem of oscillations is especially noted for stents that are 40 mm and longer, e.g., stents (or scaffolds) intended for the superficial femoral artery. To meet these needs the dryer 10 includes a support for the mandrel 15 distal end 15 a, i.e., mandrel grippers 60, in addition to the notches 36, 38. With the additional support provided by grippers 60 the stent becomes effectively fixed-supported at the mandrel distal end 15a when disposed over the dryer mouth (exit of the plenum), yet is still capable of being rotated about the mandrel axis by a rotary mechanism coupled to the mandrel. This support may be achieved without interference with drying and prevents contact between the stent/scaffold and the walls 30b or mandrel 15 as the gas passes over the stent/scaffold.

(32) The stent is mounted onto the mandrel 15 prior to the start of the stent coating process (FIG. 2). The mandrel 15 controls the stent position during drying and spraying. The mandrel 15 generally maintains axial alignment of the stent, and causes the stent to rotate at generally the same rate as the mandrel 15, which has a proximal end that fits into a chuck. The chuck delivers a torque to the mandrel 15. The slots 36 and 38 provide a sufficient clearance to allow the mandrel 15 to rotate. The mated grooves 63a, 63b (FIGS. 7A-7B) also provide this clearance for rotation. Some heating gas will escape through the slots 36 and 38.

(33) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the base housing 20, with the portions identified as previously described. As mentioned earlier, the base housing 20 includes a threaded fitting (hidden from view) that receives the fitting for the gas supply. The diffuser housing 30 and spacers/screens 40, 42 are received in the base housing 20. The walls forming the shield 32 extend out from the opening 22 of the base housing 20 (see FIG. 1B).

(34) For the drying systems described in US20110059228 and US20110000427 there is preferably an oven step for removing residual solvent from the stent or scaffold. In an additional aspect of disclosure, the oven step may be skipped as tests show that the dryer 10 and process as shown and described may remove solvent at a sufficient rate during the process of FIG. 2 to obviate an oven step. This is desirable as it reduces manufacturing time for the medical device.

(35) Twelve as-coated samples were collected to assess efficiency of the dryer 10 with and without a later oven step. Those samples were processed using inter pass dry temperature at 50 C. Those samples were divided into two groupsGroup A and Group B. The six group A samples were kept in a tightly sealed vial and in the refrigerator prior to residual solvent testing, and while the six group B samples proceeded with an additional oven dry at 50 C for 30 minutes immediately after the final coating step, then kept in the vial.

(36) The residual acetone data for the two groups are listed in the TABLE 1. The data shows that there is not much different between the average of the residual acetone level between the two groups (between 1 to 2 micrograms). This is because the actual amount of a residual solvent present in a coated stent can vary within a few micrograms of a measured amount, which is what TABLE 1 shows. Moreover, in some applications up to 5 g of residual solvent remaining in the coating is considered acceptable. Accordingly, the test suggests there may be no need to have an oven bake step when using a dryer constructed in accordance with dryer 10.

(37) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 residual acetone levels for Groups A vs. Group B (six 12 mm stents) Residual acetone g/stent (12 mm) Group A Group B 100165795 100165796 Stent # without oven step with Oven step 1 1.17 1.66 2 1.06 1.29 3 1.06 1.48 4 0.88 1.37 5 5.20* (outlier) 1.04 6 1.14 1.04 Average 1.0 (does not include the outlier) or 1.8 1.3 (includes the outlier)

(38) A gas flow rate through the heater assembly 2 in FIG. 1 may be monitored/controlled by a commercially available mass flow regulator (not shown). For example, such a mass flow regulator may be used to operate an adjustable valve coupling the gas supply line 2b to a gas source to produce the desired flow rate. One example of a suitable mass flow regulator is the Aalborg GFCS series programmable mass flow regulator. A use of a mass flow regulator and related control system suitable for use with aspects of the disclosure is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/540,302.

(39) During a coating process, the dryer is not in use when the stent is being coated. If the dryer is shut down or the flow rate reduced the temperature of the gas at the entrance to the plenum 10 of the dryer 1 will decrease. If the stent is moved into position above the nozzle mouth for drying and the valve opened to increase the flow rate, there will be a period of transient flow. It is desirable to avoid a period of solvent removal by transient gas flow, since the rate or amount of solvent removal by transient flow can be difficult to predict. It is preferred, therefore, that the stent is dried only during steady state flow conditions.

(40) If gas flow at the dryer is instead maintained at a constant rate, then the temperature may be maintained. However, this wastes gas resources. It would be desirable if the gas flow rate could be reduced when the dryer is not in use while holding the gas temperature at a constant value.

(41) To meet this need, a closed loop control is preferably implemented with a stent dryer system according to the disclosure, so that the gas temperature may be maintained at variable flow rates. Referring to FIG. 9, a schematic of this closed-loop control is illustrated. A controller 300 continuously receives input temperatures at the entrance of the plenum from a thermocouple 302 and the gas flow rate upstream of the plenum entrance from a flow sensor 304. The controller 300 may be programmed to reduce the gas flow rate when the dryer is not in use, and increase the gas flow rate when the stent is ready to be moved into position above the dryer mouth.

(42) As the flow rate is adjusted by opening/closing the adjustable valve 308, the controller senses a change in temperature from input received at the thermocouple 302, at which point it will increase/decrease the power delivered to the heating coils by affecting control 306 for power so that the temperature remains constant, regardless of the actual flow rate. Thus, according to this aspect of the disclosure, a dryer system may be operated at variable flow rates during a coating process while maintaining a substantially steady state gas flow during the drying stage, or a minimal period of transient flow conditions until a steady state condition is reached. This improves/maintains the predictability of solvent removal during drying, minimizes down time and allows gas resources to be conserved. The coated stent is almost immediately subject to the drying step and dried in a manner that allows the improved prediction of solvent removal. As discussed earlier, this is a critical step in the process of producing a predictable release rate for a drug-eluting stent and accurate assessment of whether the desired drug-polymer coating weight has been reached.

(43) After, or just prior to completion of an application of coating composition on the stent, the controller 300 increases the gas flow temperature to the drying gas flow rate. While the gas flow is being increased, the controller 300 monitors the temperature at the plenum entrance 2c by input received from the thermocouple 302 and the power increased to the heating coils as necessary to maintain the temperature of the exiting gas flow. Once the gas flow has reached the operating flow rate and temperature, the stent is moved into position above the shield 32 and the housing 30 raised. The stent is rotated. After drying is complete, the gas flow is again returned to the idle state and the power to the heating coils decreased as necessary to maintain the same gas flow temperature (based on input received from the thermocouple 302) at/near location 2c. The process repeats until the desired coating weight is obtained.

(44) The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

(45) These modifications can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. The terms used in claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by claims, which are to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation.