Coating Apparatus for Medical Devices Using Intersecting Spray Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for applying drug-eluting coatings to medical devices face challenges when combining incompatible solvents and active agents, such as hydrophobic polymers and hydrophilic macromolecular active agents, which can result in viscous mixtures or phase separation, making it difficult to achieve a stable and effective coating.
Innovation Solution
The use of a coating apparatus with separate spray nozzles for each component, allowing for the simultaneous or sequential application of polymers and active agents with incompatible solvents, which are atomized and intersect before reaching the medical device, creating a controlled release coating with concentration gradients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If incompatible solvents and active agents are mixed together before application, then the coating can be applied in a single step, but the mixture becomes viscous or undergoes phase separation, resulting in unstable and ineffective coatings
Solution Approach 1:
The coating application process is divided into separate streams: one stream carries the polymer in its solvent, and another stream carries the active agent in its solvent. These separate streams are applied simultaneously to the substrate, allowing each component to be delivered independently without pre-mixing incompatible substances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-dimensional mixing approach to a multi-dimensional delivery system by using separate supply conduits and spray nozzles for each component. The streams are spatially separated during delivery and only interact at the substrate surface, adding a spatial dimension to the coating process that prevents premature mixing.
2Stability of the object's composition
If separate spray nozzles are used for polymers and active agents, then phase separation is reduced and coating stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining separate delivery paths, the invention merges the application processes by coordinating multiple spray nozzles to operate simultaneously on the same substrate. The separate polymer and active agent streams are combined at the substrate surface, creating a unified coating layer without requiring complex pre-mixing or post-application processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating apparatus is designed with multi-functional components that can handle different coating compositions through separate conduits. The spray system can deliver multiple incompatible coating materials using the same nozzle type and application mechanism, reducing the need for entirely separate application systems for each component.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple coating compositions are applied separately, then the release profile can be precisely controlled, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The coating compositions are prepared in advance with specific solvent systems optimized for each component (polymer and active agent). By pre-configuring the solvent compositions and delivery parameters, the system enables precise control over the release profile without requiring complex real-time adjustments during the coating application process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the formation of stable, effective coatings with controlled elution of active agents, reducing phase separation and improving the therapeutic efficacy by maintaining the stability of active agents like proteins, while allowing for precise control over the release profile.
Implementation Method 1
the first and second spray nozzles arranged to produce first and second spray streams that intersect one another
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to systems and methods for forming coatings that can elute active agents and coating produced by the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes an apparatus for applying a coating to a medical device including a first spray nozzle, a first coating composition supply conduit, a second spray nozzle, and a second coating composition supply conduit. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of applying a coating to a medical device including forming a first spray stream, forming a second spray stream, and directing the spray streams toward the medical device so that the first spray stream intersects the second spray stream before hitting the medical device. In an embodiment, the invention includes an apparatus for applying a coating to a medical device including a spray nozzle, a first coating composition supply conduit and a second coating composition supply conduit. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of applying a coating to a medical device including applying a first composition onto the surface of a spray nozzle, applying a second composition onto the surface of the spray nozzle, generating a spray stream comprising the first composition and the second composition with the nozzle and directing the spray stream at the medical device.