Confluent Medical Technologies (Fremont, Calif.)  said it has acquired Tube Hollows International (Windham, Maine) and launched a “High-Performance Nitinol Tubing Center of Excellence.”

Confluent Medical said it established the center in response to increasing market demand for high-performance nitinol tubing in challenging applications such as transcatheter heart valves, neurovascular, electrophysiology, and interventional pulmonary. Its products’ performance capabilities include nitinol durability, fatigue-resistance, surface finish, and tight tolerances.

Tube Hollows is a leader in precision gun-drilling of nitinol tube hollows and brings strong capabilities in centerless grinding and precision machining, according to Confluent. Its acquisition has been a key piece in developing the center, whose capabilities include:

• High-purity, custom-melted ELI nitinol material for superior cyclical fatigue durability.
• A wide range of nitinol tubing sizes and tolerances, including tubing in diameters that exceed 10mm, often used in complex transcatheter mitral and aortic valve components.
• Precise nitinol tubing processes, including gun-drilling, centerless grinding, and machining.
• An optimal surface on the OD and ID that allows for ideal component manufacturing.