Natvar, a Tekni-Plex company, has launched thermoplastic microextrusion tubing. The technology is used in neurovascular interventional therapies and surgical applications.
Microextrusion tubing offers a replacement for glass and fluoropolymers, and the company promises short development lead time. The new tubing option could help drive innovation in these therapeutic spaces.
Microextruded options include monolayer, coextruded, multi-lumen tubing or profiles in a variety of thermoplastic (PVC, urethanes, TPEs) materials at CPK values above 2.0. Note: The CPK value indicates how close a process is running to its specification limits, relative to the natural variability of the process. The higher the index, the less likely it is that any item will be outside the specs. As a frame of reference, a CPK of 1.33 or better is what medical device companies typically require.
Thermoplastics keep costs down, particularly compared with fluoropolymers and glass, said Bob Donohue, general manager, Natvar.
Natvar’s microextrusion tubing comes in wall thicknesses ranging from .003 to .005 in. and can be coextruded in up to 4 layers. The manufacturing line can also run fluoropolymers to deliver specific attributes or in instances when the company wants to avoid validating costs associated with a different material.
Target applications for the microextrusion tubing line include IV cannulas, pediatric devices, infant microcatheters, guidewires, catheter leads and any others where diameter and tight tolerances are necessary to achieve product objectives.
The company also recently expanded its medical tubing product portfolio by making silicone extrusion tubing available to customers around the world.
The company’s manufacturing facility in China, and its U.S.-based engineering and technical support offer options for pump applications in the global marketplace. The company says it offers improved economics over North American supply options.
Silicone is an inert, biocompatible material that can hold tight-tolerances for demanding applications. Silicone extrusions are typically used for items such as catheters, feeding tubes, drug delivery and peristaltic pump applications.
Donohue said he believes the supplier’s ability to keep tight control over the raw material supply chain in essential in ensuring that Navtar is a differentiator.
