A stent is a miniature mesh tube placed inside of a blood vessel to keep the vessel open to allow normal blood flow and pressure. Stents differ greatly in their design, dimensions and optimal material for their fabrication, based on their intended application: • Peripheral stents – for use in the larger peripheral blood vessels • Cardiovascular (coronary) stents – for use in high-pressure heart blood vessels • Brain stents – for use in the tiniest blood vessels of the brain. Stent manufacturing is an art that requires expertise in many areas, starting from the selection of the optimal raw material, through high-precision laser cutting of complex geometries, to perfect finishing that includes both mechanical cleaning and chemical/heat treatments to ensure the highest quality of the desired product. STI, an expert in stent manufacturing, provides the engineering support and manufacturing platform for the various types of stents.       Peripheral stents: Materials: Nickel Titanium (NiTinol) for maximum elasticity Wall thickness: 0.05-0.30mm Stent length: 10-60mm Strut width: 0.08mm Tolerance: ±5µm   Cardiovascular (coronary) stents: Materials: St.St. 316L, Ti, Cobalt Chromium L605 Wall thickness: 0.08-0.40mm Stent length: 5-80mm Strut width: 0.05-0.07mm Tolerance: ±5µm   Brain stents: Materials: St.St., NiTinol, Platinum, Titanium, Cobalt Chromium L605 Wall thickness: 0.05-0.10mm Strut width: 0.04-0.05mm Stent length: 5-25mm Tolerance: ±5µm Additional stent types available according to designed specifications   STI has developed a Gold Marking™ process for improving radiopacity of stents made of Stainless Steel or Nitinol. STI’s process involves mix welding of tiny gold discs (0.4mm diameter), with welding spot size as small as 0.04mm. Additional materials available for marking.           From small series manufacturing during the prototype design stage to serial production, STI offers exceptional cut accuracy and product finishing processes, including - ultrasonic cleaning, annealing, passivation and electropolish, followed by 100% final visual inspection of all stents, using high-resolution special microscopes to ensure product safety and complete customer satisfaction.