Patent 7829008 was granted and assigned to Abbott on November, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Disclosed is a method for fabricating a stent, the method comprising: positioning a polymeric tube inside a mold, wherein a high thermally conductive element covers at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold, the high thermally conductive element having a thermal conductivity that is greater than that of the mold; heating at least a portion of the mold; radially expanding the tube against the mold; and fabricating a stent from the radially expanded tube.