Patent ID: 8044322

Claim:
A method for removing material from a wall of a tubular member to form a plurality of holes therethrough according to a predetermined pattern, the method comprising: obtaining an optical system including a laser, and a securement device adapted to mount the tubular member; wherein the optical system is adapted to form a cutting spot on a wall of a tubular member, said cutting spot having sufficient energy to penetrate the wall of the tubular member, and to modulate the laser energy according to a predetermined pattern thereby forming a plurality of holes through the tubular member; mounting terminal end of the tubular member to the securement device such that a cylindrical axis of the tubular member is held in a vertical orientation while leaving the entire cross section of a lowermost terminal end of the tubular member unobstructed; forming a cutting spot on the wall of the tubular member; moving at least one of the optical system and the securement device while maintaining the cutting spot on the wall of the tubular member thereby moving the cutting spot over at least a portion of the wall of the tubular member in both vertical and circumferential directions; and directing a media flow, the media flow being a fluid, through a lumen defined by the tubular member from the uppermost end to the lowermost end.