Patent ID: 8741379

Claim:
A method of coating a stent, comprising: positioning a stent on a support element; applying a coating composition to the stent; applying at least one translational pulse to the support element along an axis of the stent during coating of the stent, wherein the at least one translational pulse causes the support element to move axially relative to the stent; and axially translating an assembly that includes the support element to cause the stent to move axially back and forth during application of the coating composition to the stent, wherein the at least one translational pulse causes the support element to move relative to other parts of the assembly that were or are being axially translated, and wherein the at least one translational pulse has a start time and an end time, wherein at the start time and the end time there is a zero difference in axial translation rate between the support element and the other parts of the assembly that were or are being axially translated, and wherein at a time between the start time and the end time there is a non-zero difference in axial translation rate between the support element and the other parts of the assembly that were or are being axially translated.