IMDEA and UPM 3D print superelastic nitinol braided stents

A team led by IMDEA Materials and UPM has patented a one-step process for 3D printing braided vascular stents from nitinol. After chemical etching and electropolishing, the stents compress to 50% of their diameter, recover over 90% of their shape and exert up to five times less outward force than printed lattice implants.

• Stents compress to 50% of diameter and recover over 90% of shape
• Electropolishing thinned fibers by 47.7% and cut cross-section by 71.1%
• Outward force up to 5x lower than additively manufactured lattices
• Devices have not yet been tested in living tissue