Ultrasonic Technology Offers Improved Device Coating Functionality
January 26, 2010 – 2:18 pm
Sono-Tek Corp. has expanded its ultrasonic technology to include systems for the application of ultra-thin film functional coatings onto various medical devices such as catheters, balloons, orthopaedic implants, endoscopic instruments, pacemakers, heart valves and related products. As functional coating formulations improve and devices get smaller, demand has surged for equipment that effectively produces coatings with good surface coverage, material homogeneity, uniform adhesion and wear resistance. Compared with pressure nozzle systems and other traditional coating methods, ultrasonic nozzle systems provide superior coating homogeneity and adherence, according to Sono-Tek.
Used to coat drug-eluting stents, the ultrasonic nozzles from Sono-Tek are also now being used to coat solutions or suspensions of THF, toluene, PTFE, chloroform, carbon nanotubes, thrombin, heparin, silver nitrate, IPD, silicone, parylene, enzymes and EDTA, among other materials, for targeted permanent or slow-release applications.
Ultrasonic nozzles combine high-frequency sound vibrations with precision air-shaping technology to create a soft, focused spray of micron-sized droplets. They range in size from 18 to 49 µm, depending on nozzle frequency.
Some features of ultrasonic coating systems cited by the company include up to 80% savings in coating material, precise control of spray shape and flow rate, minimal overspray, non-clogging repeatable performance, tight drop distribution resulting in highly uniform thin films and penetration and adherence to complex geometries without webbing.
Tags: functional coating, Sono-Tek, ultrasonic technology
