Patent ID: 7722795

Claim:
A process for assembling a medical device ( 110 ), the medical device ( 110 ) comprising a unitarily and continuously formed portion ( 108 ) having a varying durometer, and the process comprising: creating an irradiation cross-linkable mixture of a polyamide elastomer and at least one additional cross-linking reactant; forming the mixture into a unitarily and continuously formed portion ( 108 ), placing a shield ( 196 ) of varying density between the unitarily and continuously formed portion ( 108 ) and a source of cross-linking irradiation; and exposing the unitarily and continuously formed portion ( 108 ), at least in part, to cross-linking irradiation, wherein forming is carried out so as to yield a unitarily and continuously formed portion ( 108 ) comprising at least first and second parts ( 102 and 104 ) unitarily and continuously formed with one another, and the exposing step comprises exposing at least one of the first and second parts ( 102 or 104 ) to cross-linking irradiation, wherein the exposing step comprises exposing a unitarily and continuously formed transition zone ( 105 ) between the first and second parts ( 102 and 104 ) to a continuously varying amount of cross-linking irradiation.