SPOTLIGHT
Nitinol tubing
 |
A PTFE coating for kink-resistant nitinol and stainless-steel tubing is suited for cardiovascular applications. The lubricious coating does not interfere with nitinol’s kink-resistance characteristics. Tubing with an OD as small as 0.002 in. can be processed. Suitable for guidewires, catheters, needles, and other devices, the PTFE coating can be applied with coating tolerances from 0.0001 to 0.0003 in. Available in green, grey, blue, and black colours, the coating is available for all hypotube variations including spiral, skived, flared, crimped, ground, and slotted types. Applied Plastics, Norwood, MA, USA
Medical-grade tubing
|
 |
Designed for use in medical devices, Silastic Rx medical-grade tubing is a translucent silicone extrusion made from platinum-cured biomedical-grade elastomers to ensure maximum biocompatibility. The medical-grade tubing is available with a Shore A hardness of 50, 65, or 80. The tubing can be produced in custom sizes and geometries. Applications include drug delivery systems, feeding tubes, catheters, shunts, cardiac pacing leads, and cardiopulmonary bypass devices. Dow Corning GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany
Tube clamps
 |
A family of disposable moulded plastic clamps designed to provide strength and ease of use in media transport applications has been expanded with the addition of clamps that can be used on tubing with diameters as large as 8 in. BioClamps are offered as a convenient, safe, and reliable alternative to stainless-steel clamps. The clamps’ two wing nuts provide even compression across the entire circumference to provide a secure seal, and they are perforated to allow for the use of tamperproof ties. The lot number is moulded on the underside of each clamp for traceability. The clamps can be sterilized repeatedly by means of gamma irradiation or autoclaving. BioPure Technology Ltd., Denmead, Hants, UK
PVC tubing
 |
Flexible PVC tubing is offered in more than 50 sizes up to 4 in. ID. The Clearflo tubing is used for fluid transfer, air lines, and protective jacketing. The versatile tubing is lightweight but tough and abrasion resistant. It offers glass-like clarity with flexibility similar to rubber. In addition, the tubing resists a variety of chemicals and corrosives in industrial applications. The compound from which Clearflo is manufactured meets USP Class VI, US FDA, and 3A standards. NewAge Industries, Southampton, PA, USA
Tip trimmer heads
 |
Tip trimming is used to produce a smooth rounded outside tip on open-tip suction catheters. Trimming heads that can be used on soft tube materials such as PVC, silicone, PE, and PFTE are driven by a frequency-regulated ac motor. One trimming head is used for each tube size and radius. The trimming head has a wedge for holding a bent razor blade in place; by rotating the trimming head, the radius on the tube tip is formed. One razor blade should be able to accomplish several hundred thousand trimmings in PVC before replacement. The razor blade also is reportedly easy to replace. Soebygaard Machine Design, Naestved, Denmark
PVC coiled tubing
 |
Free of DEHP, PVC coiled tubing can stretch and retract easily, keeping it tangle free and space efficient. While the actual size of the coiled piece is between 5 and 6 cm, the tubing extends to lengths of 91 or 122 cm. Coiled tubing sets with a male and female luer bonded at each end are also available in 91 and 122 cm lengths. The company stocks coiled tubing sets with 1 and 3 cm ODs. Custom configurations are available upon request. Qosina Corp., Edgewood, NY, USA
PTFE tubing
 |
PTFE tubing for intracerebral microcatheters is available with diameters as small as 30 µm. A thermoplastic layer can be added to the tubing during coextrusion. The platinum wire, which the surgeon inserts into the catheter, will not meet any obstacles as the tube wall is lubricious. Delivered on SPC conductors and on spools, the tubing is protected to avoid flattening during shipment. Manufacturers can then cut the tube to the required length to fabricate their microcatheters. The PTFE tubing is inert, biocompatible, and anti-adhesive. Axon’Cable SAS, Montmirail, France
Stainless-steel tubing
 |
A manufacturer produces redrawn precision stainless-steel tubing. The firm can cut the tubing into burr-free parts measuring a few millimetres in length. Suited for a variety of medical device applications, these parts are supplied on request according to customers’ dimensional-tolerance requirements. The stainless-steel tubes can be produced in diameters ranging from 0.30 to 76.00 mm with wall thicknesses ranging from 0.10 to 3.50 mm. Tecnofar S.p.A., Delebio (SO), Italy
