Optimization of femtosecond laser cutting of a biodegradable polymer for medical devices manufacturing

Abstract

This paper describes the experimental parameters involved in the femtosecond laser micromachining of biodegradable poly(L-lactide) which is frequently used in biomedical applications such as vascular stents or scaffolds. We investigated the influence of laser pulse energy, scanning strategy and number of overscans on the laser cutting throughput. The process parameters that enable reducing a heat affected zone were determined. As a result, the optimal scanning strategy was determined in order to obtain high aspect ratio trenches in a 380μm thick biodegradable polymer sheet.