Patent ID: 7163655

Claim:
A method of manufacturing medical devices, comprising: providing a stack of alternating polymer disks of at least two different polymers, the disks each having an axial hole therein for accommodating an air tube, the air tube comprising a distal end that forms an open die tip, the open die tip being disposed within a cutter die, the cutter die comprising an outer tip disposed upstream of the open die tip and an inner tip in alignment with the open die tip that defines an annular space with the open die tip for accommodating extrudate, the cutter die being fabricated from microwave-transparent material, moving the stack of disks over the tube and towards the annular space, heating the stack of disks disposed between the outer tip of the cutter die and the open die tip with focused microwave energy, whereby the polymer disks are melted just prior to exiting the annular space as extrudate.