Patent ID: 6248190
Filing Date: 2001-06-19
Classification: A61F,B21C,C22C

Abstract:
A process for manufacturing a body insertable composite filament, including:providing an elongate core substantially uniform in lateral cross-section and formed of a core material having a melting temperature of at least about 1600 degrees F. (870 degrees C), and an elongate tubular case substantially uniform in lateral cross-section and formed of a metal;inserting the core into the case to form an elongate composite filament in which the case surrounds the core;cold working the composite filament to reduce its outside diameter;annealino the composite filament after cold working, at an average annealing temperature of at most about 2000 degrees F. (1093 degrees C), and at a maximum annealing temperature less than a melting point of the core material, to substantiauly remove strain hardening and other stresses induced by said cold-working;further cold-working the annealed composite filament in a final cold-working stage, then forming the cold-worked filament into an intended shape; andwhile maintaining the cold-worked composite filament in the intended shape, age ardening the composite filament;wherein the core material is selected from the group of gold alloys consisting of:a. an alloy including sold at about 62-70 weight percent, silver at about 9-16 weight percent, copper at about 7-18 weight percent, and platinum at about 2-13 weight percent;b. an alloy including gold from about 60 weight percent to about 99 weight percent, silver, copper, platinum, and at least one further metal from the group consisting of palladium, nickel, and zinc;c. an alloy including gold at about 70-80 weight percent, copper at about 14-26 weight percent, and zinc at about 4-6 weight percent;d. an alloy containing gold at about 70-80 percent, copper at about 1-3.5 percent, zinc at about 4.5-6.5 percent, and nickel at 14-20 percent; ande. an alloy consisting essentially of gold from about 60 weight percent to about 99 weight percent, and nickel.