Benchtop Stent Coating Systems

Benchtop Stent Coating Systems – Stent Coatings – Cheersonic

In the field of contemporary interventional medicine, intravascular stents are an important implantable device, and their surface treatment process directly affects the treatment effect and patient prognosis. Among them, using precision coating technology to uniformly attach polymer solutions containing therapeutic drugs to the surface of the stent substrate, forming a drug film with sustained release function, has become one of the key processes to improve the functionality of the stent. In this technological system, the desktop coating device based on high-frequency sound wave energy for atomization spraying is gradually demonstrating its unique technical advantages and application value.

The working principle of this type of desktop coating system is derived from the energy conversion of high-frequency sound waves. When sound waves of a specific frequency act on a liquid, dense compression and expansion cycles are generated inside the liquid, forming extremely fine standing waves on the liquid surface. With the continuous input of sound wave energy, the liquid level fluctuation intensifies, ultimately breaking the liquid into uniformly sized and finely atomized particles. Compared with traditional spraying methods relying on high-pressure gas or mechanical pressure, this atomization process based on acoustic energy has unique advantages: it can be carried out at room temperature and pressure, effectively avoiding damage to temperature sensitive active ingredients; The particle size distribution range of the generated atomized particles is more concentrated, laying the foundation for the formation of uniformly thick coatings; At the same time, the mechanical stress borne by the solution throughout the entire process is minimal, maximizing the integrity of the polymer chain structure.

In the actual operation process, technicians first need to dissolve biocompatible polymer materials and therapeutic drugs in a suitable solvent in a specific ratio to prepare a coating solution with appropriate viscosity and surface tension. Subsequently, the solution was precisely transported to a specially designed sound wave generating device. Under the action of high-frequency sound waves, the solution is transformed into a uniform aerosol composed of countless micrometer sized droplets at room temperature. These droplets carrying drugs and polymer materials gently deposit on the slowly rotating surface of the stent under directional airflow guidance. By precisely controlling the rotation speed, spraying time, and acoustic energy parameters of the stent, uniform drug polymer coatings with thicknesses ranging from several micrometers to tens of micrometers can be constructed on the surface of the stent.

The brilliance of this coating method lies in its excellent controllability and consistency. Traditional spraying methods often cause thickness fluctuations or local defects in coatings due to uneven droplet size and excessive impact force. However, the atomization process based on acoustic energy produces droplets with highly uniform size and relatively mild flight speed, allowing each droplet of solution to contact the surface of the stent in a similar shape and form an extremely smooth and continuous drug polymer film. The uniformity of this structure directly determines the controllability of drug release kinetics – areas that are too weak or too thick can lead to sudden or incomplete drug release, affecting the therapeutic effect.

After coating, the stent needs to undergo appropriate drying and curing treatment to completely evaporate the solvent and form a stable microstructure between the polymer chains and drug molecules. This post-processing process also requires precise control, as too fast or uneven drying may cause cracks or drug crystallization in the coating, affecting the performance of the final product. The functional coating on the surface of drug-eluting stents, which have undergone a complete set of process treatments, can continuously and stably release therapeutic doses of drug molecules for weeks or even months after implantation through diffusion, degradation, and other mechanisms, effectively inhibiting excessive repair reactions of the vascular wall and significantly reducing the risk of restenosis.

Compared to early immersion coating or spin coating processes, this spray coating technology based on acoustic energy not only significantly improves the uniformity and consistency of the coating, but also significantly reduces the waste of raw material solutions. Its enclosed operating environment effectively reduces the risk of contamination that may be introduced during the production process, providing strong guarantees for meeting the strict quality requirements of medical device production. With the deepening of the concept of personalized medicine, the high controllability of this technology also provides the possibility of developing customized stent products for different patient groups – by adjusting process parameters, drug dosage and release curves can be accurately controlled to meet the needs of different clinical scenarios.

Looking ahead to the future, with the continuous development of biomaterials science and drug delivery theory, the demand for surface functionalization treatment of implanted devices will continue to increase. Precision coating technology based on acoustic energy, with its unique mild processing characteristics, excellent coating quality control capabilities, and good process scalability, is expected to play an important role in a wider range of medical device surface engineering fields. From single drug coating to multi drug synergistic release system, from passive response to intelligent stimulus responsive coating preparation, this technology platform provides feasible process paths for realizing these innovative concepts.

About Cheersonic

Cheersonic is the leading developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic coating systems for applying precise, thin film coatings to protect, strengthen or smooth surfaces on parts and components for the microelectronics/electronics, alternative energy, medical and industrial markets, including specialized glass applications in construction and automotive.

Our coating solutions are environmentally-friendly, efficient and highly reliable, and enable dramatic reductions in overspray, savings in raw material, water and energy usage and provide improved process repeatability, transfer efficiency, high uniformity and reduced emissions.

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