Patent ID: 8916226

Claim:
A method of forming a stent with hollow struts comprising the steps of: stacking a first sheet of a first material, a second sheet of a second material, and a third sheet of third material disposed between the first sheet and the second sheet to form a stacked laminate of materials; stamping a flat stent pattern from the stacked laminate of materials, wherein the stamping step removes the first, second, and third materials from portions of the stacked laminate of materials, thereby leaving the flat stent pattern with a cross-section having the first material, the second material, and the third material, wherein the stamping step pushes the third sheet inward and edges of the first sheet and the second sheet together to surround the third sheet such that a cross-section through struts of the flat stent pattern includes the first material and the second material completely surrounding the third material; after the stamping step, processing the stent pattern to remove the third material from within the first material and the second material such that a cross-section of the struts includes the first material and the second material surrounding a lumen; rolling the flat stent pattern such that longitudinal edges of the flat stent pattern abut against each other to form a tube, and bonding the longitudinal edges to each other; and filling the lumen with a biologically or pharmacologically active substance.