on the length of tubing three tabs or webs between stents provide good handling characteristics for the tubing after the etching process the process of patterning the resistive coating on the stent is automated except for loading and unloading the length of tubing referring again to fig6 it may be done for example using a cnc opposing collet fixture 22 for axial rotation of the length of tubing in conjunction with a cnc x y table 25 to move the length of tubing axially relative to a machine controlled laser as described the entire space between collets can be patterned using the co 2 laser set up of the foregoing example the program for control of the apparatus is dependent on the particular configuration used and the pattern to be ablated in the coating but is otherwise conventional this process makes possible the application of present photolithography technology in manufacturing the stents while there is presently no practical way to mask and expose a tubular photo resist coated part of the small size required for making intravascular stents the foregoing steps eliminate the need for conventional masking techniques after the coating is thus selectively ablated the tubing is removed from the collet fixture 22 next wax such at thermocote n 4 is heated to preferably just above its melting point and inserted into the tubing under vacuum or pressure after the wax has solidified upon cooling it is reheated below its melting point to allow softening and a smaller diameter stainless steel shaft is inserted into the softened wax to provide support the tubing is then etched chemically in a conventional manner after cutting the tabs connecting the stents any surface roughness or.