Apparatus and method for processing a workpiece using pressure and heat

Abstract

An apparatus to process a workpiece (12) for producing a device includes at least first and second contact elements (20a-c, 120a-c, 220a-b) having respective first and second contact surfaces (22a-c, 122a-c, 222a-b) and a receiving area (24, 124, 224) defined between the contact elements (20a-c, 120a-c, 220a-b) that is configured to receive the workpiece (12), where the contact surfaces (22a-c, 122a-c, 222a-b) are configured to apply pressure to the workpiece (12) in the receiving area (24, 124, 224). A heater (18, 118, 218) is used to apply heat to the workpiece (12) in the receiving area (24, 124, 224). A corresponding method includes contacting the workpiece with at least first and second contact surfaces (22a-c, 122a-c, 222a-b) and applying pressure to the workpiece (12) via the contact surfaces (22a-c, 122a-c, 222a-b), applying heat to the workpiece (12), and rotating the workpiece between the contact surfaces (22a-c, 122a-c, 222a-b).

Description

BUR02 FP-164A(WO)APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A WORKPIECE USING PRESSURE AND HEAT CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional patent application ser. no. 63 / 778,643, filed on March 27, 2025, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to device manufacturing, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for processing a workpiece using pressure and heat.BACKGROUND

[0003] Manufacturing devices can involve many processes such as, for example, bonding and molding workpieces. The process of bonding involves joining two or more materials or components of a workpiece together. Common bonding techniques include adhesive bonding, mechanical bonding, welding, soldering, and brazing. The process of molding involves shaping the workpiece into its desired form. Common molding techniques include injection molding, compression molding, and rotational molding. Bonding and / or molding processes may also be accomplished by using heat shrink tubing. For example, a workpiece may be inserted into the tubing, and the tubing can shrink uniformly when heated based a shrink ratio of the tubing. This allows the workpiece to be molded to a desired shape. Further, the workpiece may have multiple layers that can be bonded together by the heat shrink tubing. The workpiece may be combined with one or more workpieces for producing the device.SUMMARY

[0004] An apparatus can use pressure and heat to process a workpiece during production of a device such as, for example, a medical device, a cable device, a battery device, and the like. The apparatus has structures that define respective contact surfaces for contacting and applying pressure to a workpiece. The structures may be plates or rollers. Further, the workpiece may be a tubular shape having a longitudinal surface, and one or more of the structures can cause the workpiece to rotate for shaping and smoothing the longitudinal surface.

[0005] The apparatus has a heater that can apply heat to the workpiece. The combination of the heat treatment and the pressure applied to the workpiece can mold the workpiece into a desired shape. Further, the workpiece may have multiple components, and the heat treatment and the pressure applied to the workpiece can bond the components while creating a substantially uniform diameter of the workpiece at the bonded components. The apparatus may improveprocessing of the workpiece compared to traditional processing. For example, in one nonlimiting embodiment the workpiece may comprise multiple components that are traditionally processed by applying a section or layer of “sacrificial” heat shrink tubing over the components, and then subsequently removing that section or layer of heat shrink tubing, such as for catheter manufacturing, which may be a timely and costly process. The apparatus may eliminate the need to use such sacrificial heat shrink tubing for processing the workpiece, thereby eliminating costs and time associated with using heat shrink tubing.

[0006] In one example of the present disclosure, an apparatus or assembly or system (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus”) can process a workpiece for producing a device. The apparatus includes a plurality of contact elements having respective contact surfaces. The apparatus has a receiving area that is defined between the contact elements and can receive the workpiece. The apparatus has a heater that can apply heat to the workpiece in the receiving area. The contact surfaces can apply pressure to the workpiece in the receiving area.

[0007] In another example, in any apparatus, the contact elements are movable to adjust the pressure applied to the workpiece and / or rotate the workpiece.

[0008] In yet another example, in any apparatus, the heater can direct a heated substance on the workpiece to apply heat to the workpiece.

[0009] In still another example, in any apparatus, the heated substance is hot air.

[0010] In a further example, in any apparatus, the heater can heat the one or more of the contact surfaces to apply the heat to the workpiece.

[0011] In yet another example, in any apparatus, further including a gap defined between the contact elements. The heater can direct a heated substance through the gap to apply heat to the workpiece.

[0012] In still another example, in any apparatus, the contact elements comprise a plurality of rollers, such as a first, a second and a third roller, with the receiving area defined between the rollers. The rollers may be rotatable to cause the workpiece to rotate between the rollers.

[0013] In still another example, in any apparatus, the contact elements comprise first and second plates. One or both of the plates may be moveable to cause the workpiece to rotationally move between the plates.

[0014] The workpiece may be constructed of multiple components, with one or more components being deformable by heat and / or pressure. The deformable components may bondto other components of the workpiece under heat and / or pressure, such as by being molded thereto. The deformable components may comprise a thermoplastic material. In a particular embodiment the workpiece is a catheter.

[0015] In another example of the present disclosure, a method of processing a workpiece for producing a device. The method includes applying pressure via a plurality of contact surfaces to a workpiece, and applying, by a heater, a heat treatment to the workpiece to bond a component to the workpiece while providing a substantially uniform diameter of the workpiece.

[0016] In another example, in any method, further including rotating the workpiece.

[0017] In yet another example, in any method, wherein the applying the heat treatment to the workpiece includes heating one or more of the contact surfaces.

[0018] In still another example, in any method, applying the heat treatment to the workpiece includes directing a heated substance on the workpiece.

[0019] In a further example, in any method, the contact elements may comprise a plurality of rollers or a plurality of plates.

[0020] In yet another example, in any method, the device is a catheter. The catheter may comprise multiple components with at least one of the components being deformable under heat and pressure.

[0021] In still another embodiment, a method to process a workpiece comprises contacting the workpiece with at least a first contact surface and a second contact surface and applying pressure to the workpiece via the first and second contact surfaces, applying heat to the workpiece, and rotating the workpiece between the first and second contact surfaces.

[0022] In any of the embodiments, the workpiece may be a catheter that comprises multiple components and at least one of the components is deformable under heat and pressure, and where the method further comprises forming the catheter to have a uniform outer diameter via applying the pressure and heat to the workpiece and via rotating the workpiece.

[0023] In any of the method embodiments, the contact surfaces may comprise plates or rollers defining a contact area therebetween in which the workpiece is disposed. Movement of one or more of the plates or rollers may be used to rotate the workpiece. Also in any of the embodiments, applying heat to the workpiece comprises heating at least one of the first and second contact surfaces and / or directing a heated substance onto the workpiece.

[0024] Thus, the apparatus may decrease time and / or costs associated with processing the workpiece for production of the device such as, for example, a catheter. This is accomplished by the apparatus including structures that can apply pressure to the workpiece, and a heater than can apply a heat treatment to the workpiece. The pressure and heat treatment applied to the workpiece can mold the workpiece into a desired shape and / or bond components of the workpiece while also providing a smooth surface.

[0025] These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of this disclosure will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. 1 A is an elevation view of a workpiece before processing by an apparatus;

[0027] FIG. IB is another elevation view of the workpiece of FIG. 1 after processing by an apparatus;

[0028] FIG. 2A is an end elevation view of an apparatus having rollers for processing the workpiece of FIG. 1 ;

[0029] FIG. 2B is an end elevation view of another apparatus similar to FIG. 2A having rollers;

[0030] FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of yet another apparatus disclosing a pair of spaced apart plates; and

[0031] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a workpiece processed via the apparatus of any of FIGS.2A-3.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Referring now to the drawings and illustrative examples depicted therein, an apparatus 10 can process a workpiece 12 during production of a device such as, for example, a medical device, a cable device, a battery device, and the like. (FIGS. 1A, IB, 2A, 2B). The apparatus 10 can process the workpiece 12 to form the workpiece 12 into a desired shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the workpiece 12 has a layer component 14 that initially has a larger diameter than a base component 16 of the workpiece 12. The apparatus 10 can process the workpiece 12 so that the difference in diameter between the base component 16 and the layer component 14 is reduced or eliminated, as shown in FIG. IB. The apparatus 10 can also process the workpiece 12 to bond two or more components of the workpiece 12 together. For example, the layer component 14 may be or include a plastic or a polymer that allows the layer component 14 to be adhered to the base component 16 when the apparatus 10 applies heat and pressure. For example,the application of heat may cause the layer component 14 to melt or reflow about the base component 16.

[0033] An exemplary workpiece 12 is shown in FIG. 4, which is illustrated as a catheter having multiple components including a tip 100, a distal sleeve 102, a marker 104, one or more main segments 106, and a braided portion 108. Catheter 12 includes a hollow passage through which components or diagnostic equipment or the like may be passed, such as during a medical procedure. During construction, the components are selectively placed over an inner mandrel used for forming workpiece 12, where inner mandrel comprises an elongate cylindrical base sized to fit within the inner diameter of the components. The mandrel may be made of steel, such as a steel coated with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating that is able to provide support during processing of the workpiece 12. The one or more of the components of the catheter 12 may be deformable by heat and / or pressure, such as to bond to other components of the workpiece under heat and / or pressure, such as by being molded thereto. The deformable components may comprise a thermoplastic material. During assembly, various of the components are bonded or joined together using the apparatuses discussed below. For example, a main segment 106 and / or marker 104 may be molded to the braided portion 108, and / or the distal sleeve 102 may be molded to a main segment 106. Desirably, the outer diameter of the workpiece is consistent with little variation between components and / or with smooth transitions therebetween.

[0034] The apparatus 10 can apply pressure and / or a heat treatment to the workpiece 12 for processing the workpiece 12 into a desired form. The apparatus 10 has a heater 18 that can apply the heat treatment to the workpiece 12. The apparatus 10 has structures configured as contact elements 20a-c that in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2A comprise rollers that define respective contact surfaces 22a-c for contacting and applying pressure to the workpiece 12. The rollers 20a-c are movable to adjust pressure while the heat treatment is applied to shape, bond, and / or smooth the workpiece 12. To this end, contact surfaces 22a-c may comprise a smooth and / or non-stick material such as, for example, a polytetrafluoroethylene material, to improve the smoothness of the workpiece 12.

[0035] Thus, the apparatus 10 has rollers 20a-c and a heater 18 that can respectively apply pressure and a heat treatment in the form of applied heat to process the workpiece 12 into a desired form based on the device in production. The apparatus 10 may improve processing of theworkpiece 12 compared to traditional processing of the workpiece 12. For example, the layer and the base components 14, 16 may be components that are traditionally processed by applying sacrificial heat shrink tubing and then subsequently removing that layer of heat shrink tubing with a skiving tool after the components have been molded and / or bonded together by the heat shrink tubing. Those components may include various layers or elements such as, for example, various catheter components. The apparatus 10 may eliminate the need for applying and removing sacrificial heat shrink tubing. As such, the apparatus 10 may reduce costs and / or time associated with processing the workpiece 12 that may be traditionally processed using sacrificial heat shrink tubing.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 2A, the apparatus 10 has a first roller 20a, a second roller 20b, and a third roller 20c disposed in a triangular arrangement. The rollers 20a-c define a receiving area 24 between the rollers 20a-c that can receive the workpiece 12 for processing. The receiving area 24 has a centerline that aligns with a longitudinal axis 26 of the workpiece 12 when the workpiece 12 is in the receiving area 24. (FIGS. 1A, IB, 2A). The longitudinal axis 26 extends through ends 28a, 28b of the workpiece 12. (FIG. 1). In the case where the workpiece 12 includes an internal hollow passage, such as with a catheter, a mandrel 37 is disposed in the inner diameter 39 of workpiece 12, and thus the components thereof, where the outer diameter of the mandrel 37 is sized to be similar to the inner diameter 39 of the workpiece 12 to provide support to the workpiece 12 during processing.

[0037] The rollers 20a-c move radially toward the centerline of the receiving area 24 to increase pressure applied to the workpiece 12 in the receiving area 24, and radially away from the centerline to decrease the pressure. (FIG. 2A). To this end, the rollers 20a-c are mounted along their rotational axes by a support frame that allows equal radial adjustment of each of the rollers 20a-c relative to the centerline of the receiving area 24. The rollers 20a-c are selectively controlled to increase and decrease the pressure for molding the workpiece 12 into the desired shape and / or bonding components of the workpiece 12. As noted, in the case of a hollow tubular workpiece 12, such as a catheter, an interior component may be inserted into the catheter, such as a mandrel or solid rod, to provide support to the workpiece while pressure is being applied thereto by the rollers 20a-c.

[0038] The apparatus 10 has a first gap 30a defined between the first and second rollers 20a, 20b. Apparatus 10 includes a heater 18 that can apply a heat treatment by directing a heatedsubstance on the workpiece 12 via the first gap 30a. (FIG. 2A). Heater 18 may comprise one or more heater devices such as, for example, a heat gun, a torch, and / or a heat coil. For example, heater 18 may be a heat gun that directs hot air on the workpiece 12 via the first gap 30a.

[0039] Apparatus 10 has a second gap 30b defined between the second and third rollers 20b, 20c, and a third gap 30c defined between the first and third rollers 20a, 20c. (FIG. 2A). The gaps 30a-c may be similar in size. In other examples, the apparatus 10 may have one or more additional heaters that can direct one or more heated substances through the second gap 30b and / or the third gap 30c. As such, the apparatus 10 may have one or more heaters that can direct one or more heated substances through the first, second, and / or third gaps 30a-c.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2A, the workpiece 12 has an elongated tubular shape. The rollers 20a-c are rotatable so that the rollers 20a-c can rotate the workpiece 12 about the longitudinal axis 26. (FIGS. 1A, IB, 2A). The rollers 20a-c can rotate in a clockwise direction 32 so that the workpiece 12 rotates in a counterclockwise direction 34. Additionally or alternatively, the rollers 20a-c can rotate in the counterclockwise direction 34 so that the workpiece 12 rotates in the clockwise direction 32. The rotation of the workpiece 12 allows the contact surfaces 22a-c to apply pressure along an entire circumferential and longitudinal outer surface 36 of the workpiece 12 for shaping and smoothing the outer surface 36.

[0041] The combination of the rollers 20a-c moving in the rotational and radial directions, and the heater 18 applying a heat treatment can mold the workpiece 12 into the desired shape and / or bond components of the workpiece 12. For example, the workpiece 12 may be molded so that the workpiece 12 has a desired diameter. (FIGS. IB, 2A).

[0042] Referring to FIG. 2B another apparatus 110 is similar to the first apparatus 10 with corresponding structures of the second apparatus 110 using like reference numbers having the same last two digits (e.g., rollers 120a-c are substantially similar to rollers 20a-c). The second apparatus 110 has rollers 120a-c that are larger than the rollers 20a-c of the first apparatus 10. (FIGS. 2A, 2B). As such, the second apparatus 110 has gaps 130a-c defined between the rollers 120a-c that are smaller than the gaps 30a-c in the first apparatus 10.

[0043] The second apparatus 110 has a heater 118 that heats a contact surface 122a of the first roller 120a that is made of a conductive material (e.g., metal) to apply a heat treatment to a workpiece 112, rather than directing a heated substance through the gaps 30a-c like heater 18 in FIG. 2A, based on the smaller sizes of the gaps 130a-c in the second apparatus 110. Theworkpiece 112 is the same and / or like the workpiece 12 in the first apparatus 10. The second apparatus 110 may more efficiently apply a heat treatment to the workpiece 112 by heating the surface 122a compared to directing a heated substance through one or more of the smaller sized gaps 130a-c.

[0044] Heater 118 may be a heat coil that is disposed inside the upper roller 120a and thermally coupled to the contact surface 122a. (FIG. 2B). The heated contact surface 122a can then transfer heat to the workpiece 112 when contacting the workpiece 112. Alternatively, heater 118 may be similar to heater 18 in FIG. 2A that is disposed outside the upper roller 120a and directs a heated substance (e.g., hot air) at the contact surface 122a to heat the contact surface 122a.

[0045] The second and / or third rollers 120b, 120c may be similar to the first roller 120a. For example, the second and / or third rollers 120b, 120c may be made of conductive materials and heated by one or more heaters. As such, any one or more of the rollers 120a-c may be made of one or more conductive materials, and the second apparatus 110 may have one or more heaters that may heat one or more of the respective contact surfaces 122a-c to provide a heat treatment to the workpiece 112.

[0046] Rollers 20a-c and 120a-c of the apparatuses 10, 110 may be sized based on the desired size of the workpieces 12, 112. (FIGS. 2A, 2B). Rollers 120a-c of the second apparatus 110 may have a maximum operational diameter that can shape the workpiece 112. (FIG. 2B). For example, the workpiece 112 may be shaped to have a diameter of two millimeters, and the maximum operational diameter may be one half of an inch. If the rollers 120a-c have a diameter higher than the maximum operational diameter, the rollers 120a-c may contact one another and not effectively process the workpiece 112 into the desired shape.

[0047] Referring again to FIG. 2A, rollers 20a-c of the first apparatus 10 may have the minimum operational diameter to shape the workpiece 12. For example, the workpiece 12 may be shaped to have a diameter of two millimeters, and the minimum operational diameter may be three eighths of an inch to shape the workpiece 12 having a diameter of two millimeters. If the rollers 20a-c have a diameter lower than the minimum operational diameter, the rollers 20a-c may not effectively process the workpiece 12.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 3, another apparatus 210 is disclosed that is similar to the first and second apparatuses 10, 110 with corresponding structures of the third apparatus 210 using like reference numbers having the same last two digits. The third apparatus 210 has an upper plate220a and a lower plate 220b that are disposed in a linear arrangement. The third apparatus 210 has a receiving area 224 defined between the plates 220a, 220b that can receive a workpiece 212 for processing. The workpiece 212 is the same and / or like the workpiece 12 and / or the workpiece 112 in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0049] The upper plate 220a and / or the lower plate 220b may be moveable in vertical directions 240 to increase and / or decrease the pressure on the workpiece 212. For example, the lower plate 220b moves upward and / or the upper plate 220a moves downward to increase pressure applied to the workpiece 212 in the receiving area 224, and the lower plate 220b moves downward and / or the upper plate 220a moves upward to decrease the pressure.

[0050] The plates 220a, 220b are movable in lateral directions 242 to rotate the workpiece 212 about a longitudinal axis similar to the longitudinal axis 26 of the workpiece 212 shown in FIGS.1A and IB. The upper plate 220a can move to the right and / or the lower plate 220b can move to the left to rotate the workpiece 212 in a clockwise direction 232. The upper plate 220a can move to the left and / or the lower plate 220b can right to the left to rotate the workpiece 212 in a counterclockwise direction 234. The rotation of the workpiece 212 allows contact surfaces 222a, 222b of the plates 220a, 220b to apply pressure along an entire longitudinal surface 236 of the workpiece 212 for shaping and smoothing the longitudinal surface 236.

[0051] The third apparatus 210 has a heater 218 that heats the contact surface 222a similar to the heater 118 in FIG. 2B. As such, the heater 218 applies the heat treatment to the workpiece 212 by heating a contact surface 222a of the upper plate 220a. Alternatively, the heater 218 may direct a heated substance on the workpiece 212 similar to the heater 18 discussed in conjunction with the first apparatus 10. For example, the heater 218 may be disposed outwardly beyond one of the ends of the plates 220a, 220b, and direct a heated substance through gaps 230a, 230b defined between the plates 220a, 220b in the apparatus 210.

[0052] The combination of the plates 220a, 220b moving in vertical and lateral directions 240, 242, and the heater 218 applying a heat treatment allows the third apparatus 210 to mold the workpiece 212 into the desired shape and / or bond components of the workpiece 212. Further, the receiving area 224 can receive additional workpieces for processing, as shown in FIG. 3. As such, the third apparatus 210 may process multiple workpieces similar to the workpiece 212 simultaneously.

[0053] Although examples of the apparatuses and workpieces are shown in FIGS. 1-3, one or more of the elements illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 may be combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, and / or implemented in any other way. For example, although the workpieces are shown as tubularly shaped, the workpieces may be any other suitable shape that can be processed by the apparatuses. Further, the apparatuses and workpieces shown in FIGS. 1-3 may include one or more elements in addition to and / or instead of the structures illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, and / or may include more than one of the elements illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. For example, the apparatus 10 may have one or more additional rollers that further define the receiving area 24, and move radially toward and away from the centerline of the receiving area 24 to respectively increase and decrease the pressure applied to the workpiece 12.

[0054] Accordingly, apparatuses described herein have contact elements that can apply pressure, and heaters that can apply heat to mold workpieces into desired shapes and / or bond components of the workpieces. For example, in one embodiment rollers are movable in rotational and radial directions to process a workpiece. In another embodiment, plates are movable in the vertical and linear directions to process a workpiece. The heaters in the apparatuses can apply heat treatments to workpieces using a variety of methods such as, for example, directing heated substances on the workpieces and / or heating contact surfaces of the structures. The apparatuses may eliminate the need to process workpieces that use certain traditional processes that are costly and / or time consuming such as, for example, heat shrink tubing. As such, the apparatuses may improve the efficiency of producing devices that have workpieces using those certain traditional processes.

[0055] Although some of the structures shown in the apparatuses and workpieces share the same numbering, this does not imply the structures are identical. For example, the workpiece 12 discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1A differs from the workpiece 12 discussed in conjunction with FIG. IB.

[0056] Spatial relationships of the elements are described herein using various terms such as, for example, "lateral", "longitudinal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "radially", "outwardly", etc. As used herein, spatial relationships of the elements do not limit the orientations of the elements as other orientations of the elements may be used.

[0057] It should be understood that "including", "comprising", and "having" (and all other forms, such as tenses) are used herein to be open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim recites any form of "include", "comprise", or "have" (e.g., comprises, includes, has, comprising, including,having) as a preamble or within a claim recitation of any kind, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc. may be present without falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim.

[0058] As used herein, singular references (e.g., "a", "an", "first", "second") do not exclude a plurality. The term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that entity. The terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more", and "at least one" can be used interchangeably. The term "and / or" when used in a form such as, for example, A, B, and / or C refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) B with C, and (7) A with B and with C.

[0059] Changes and modifications in the specifically described examples can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present disclosure which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus to process a workpiece for producing a device, said apparatus comprising:at least first and second contact elements having respective first and second contact surfaces;a receiving area defined between said first and second contact elements, and configured to receive the workpiece; anda heater configured to apply heat to the workpiece in said receiving area;wherein said first and second contact surfaces are configured to apply respective first and second pressures to the workpiece in said receiving area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second contact elements are movable to adjust said first and second pressures.

3. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said heater is configured to direct a heated substance on the workpiece to apply heat to the workpiece.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said heated substance is hot air.

5. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said heater is configured to heat at least one of said first and second contact surfaces to apply heat to the workpiece.

6. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, further comprising a gap defined between said first and second contact elements, wherein said heater is configured to direct a heated substance through said gap to apply heat to the workpiece.

7. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said first and second contact elements are first and second rollers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first and second rollers are rotatable in a first rotational direction to cause the workpiece to rotate in a second rotational direction opposite to said first rotational direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a third roller having a third contact surface configured to apply a third pressure to the workpiece in said receiving area, wherein said receiving area is defined between said first, second, and third rollers.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first, second, and third rollers are movable in respective radial directions relative to the receiving area to adjust said first, second, and third rollers.

11. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said first and second contact elements are first and second plates.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first plate is movable in a first linear direction to cause the workpiece to move in a rotational direction.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of said first and second plates are movable in a second linear direction perpendicular to said first linear direction to adjust said first and second pressures.

14. The apparatus of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the device is a catheter.

15. A method to process a workpiece for producing a device, said method comprising:applying, by a first contact surface, a first pressure to the workpiece;applying, by a second contact surface, a second pressure to the workpiece; and applying, by a heater, heat to the workpiece.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising rotating the workpiece.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein rotating the workpiece comprises moving one or both of the first contact surface and second contact surface with respect to the workpiece to cause the workpiece to rotate.

18. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein said applying heat to the workpiece comprises heating at least one of the first and second contact surfaces.

19. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein said applying heat to the workpiece comprises directing a heated substance on the workpiece.

20. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, further comprising applying, by a third contact surface, a third pressure to the workpiece.

21. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the device is a catheter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the catheter comprises multiple components and at least one of the components is deformable under heat and pressure.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising forming the catheter to have a uniform outer diameter via applying the first pressure, the second pressure and the heat to the workpiece.

24. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface comprise first and second plates, and wherein the first and second plates define a contact area therebetween in which the workpiece is disposed.

25. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface comprise first and second rollers, and wherein the first and second rollers define a contact area therebetween in which the workpiece is disposed.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising a third roller, and wherein the contact area is defined between the first, second and third rollers.

27. A method to process a workpiece for producing a device, said method comprising:contacting the workpiece with at least a first contact surface and a second contact surface and applying pressure to the workpiece via the first and second contact surfaces;applying heat to the workpiece; androtating the workpiece between the first and second contact surfaces.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein rotating the workpiece comprises moving one or both of the first contact surface and second contact surface with respect to the workpiece to cause the workpiece to rotate.

29. The method of either of claims 27 or 28, wherein said applying heat to the workpiece comprises heating at least one of the first and second contact surfaces and / or directing a heated substance on the workpiece.

30. The method of either of claims 27 or 28, further comprising contacting the workpiece with a third contact surface together with the first and second contact surfaces to apply pressure to the workpiece.

31. The method of either of claims 27 or 28, wherein the device is a catheter, and wherein the catheter comprises multiple components and at least one of the components is deformable under heat and pressure, and wherein the method further comprises forming the catheter to have a uniform outer diameter via applying the pressure and heat to the workpiece and via rotating the workpiece.

32. The method of either of claims 27 or 28, wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface comprise first and second plates, and wherein the first and second plates define a contact area therebetween in which the workpiece is disposed.

33. The method of either of claims 27 or 28, wherein the first contact surface and the second contact surface comprise first and second rollers, and wherein the first and second rollers define a contact area therebetween in which the workpiece is disposed.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising a third roller, and wherein the contact area is defined between the first, second and third rollers.

Images