Medical Plastic Data Service Magazine

 

A TECHNO-ECONOMIC NEWS MAGAZINE FOR MEDICAL PLASTICS AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Our 30th Year of Publication
Page  2 of 6
 

Cover Story

Medical Polymer Tubing : Applications & Extrusion Technology Highlights

 

Tubing quality is affected by a number of factors, including raw material selection, material handling, and the many parameters of the tubing extrusion process.

 

Advances in extrusion technology are aiding the evolution of plastic tubing with the latest developments that include special formulations offering unique combinations of desired properties such as strength, flexibility, a high gas-barrier rating and lubricity. The extrusion process is only as good as the manufacturer’s ability to control it.

 

A tube’s dimensions can affect the performance characteristics of extruded medical tubing. However, process parameters, equipment, and material characteristics also play an important role in determining the end properties of an extruded tube. Tubes have also shrunk dramatically in recent years, to the point where a human hair is thick compared with some tube walls. Manufacturing such products poses considerable challenges, requiring special extrusion equipment, precise process control, and painstaking inspections.

 

Designing and developing complex multiplelumen tubing can spur innovation, provided that the designer understands the latest technology and how best to work with a tubing manufacturer.

 

The extrusion process is only as good as the manufacturer’s ability to control it.

 

Medical Tubings : Common Applications

 
Sr. Materials Common Applications
1 Polyvinyl Chloride PVC Containers used for blood and blood components for urine or for ostomy products and tubing used for blood taking and blood giving sets, catheters, heart-lung bypass sets, haemodialysis set etc.
2 Polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE Catheter liner, Electrical Insulation, Fluid transfer, Telecommunication
3 Fluorinated Ethylene IV catheter, Regional Anesthesia, Vascular access
4 Ethylene Tetrafluoro ethylene, ETFE Fluid transfer, IV catheter, Electrical insulation
5 Perfluoroalkoxy, PFA Fluid transfer, In Vitro diagnostics
6 NYLON, 6, 11, 12 Angiography, Choloecstectomy, Epidural catheter, Laparoscopic instruments, Radiology
7 Polyether Block Amide, PEBA Angiography, Cholangeography, Epidural Catheter, Radiology
8 Polycarbonate PC Laparoscopic instruments, IV therapy, Laparoscopic cannulae, Tube packaging, Microtubes
9 High Density Polyethylene LDPE Embolectomy, Guidewire dispensers, Introducers, Protective tubes, Thrombectomy, Sheaths and dilators for introducers, Coextruded perfusion tubing, Aspirator tips
10 Low Density Polyethylene LDPE Embolectomy, Guidewire dispensers, Introducers, Protective tubes, Throbectomy
11 Polyurethane PUR (Aliphatic) Angiography, Cardiac catheters, Central Venous catheters, Dialysis, Epidural catheters, IV catheters, Epidural probes, Catheters, Highpressure lines
12 Polyurethane PUR (Aromatic) Angiography, Cardiac catheters, Central Venous catheters, Dialysis, Epidural catheters, IV catheters
13 Polypropylene PP Guidewire dispenser tubes and Protective tubes
14 Ethylene Vinyl Acetate EVA Endotracheal, Embolectomy, IV therapy, Suction catheter
15 ACETAL Laparoscopy, Guiding catheter

 

About Catheter Tubing :

 

Number of variables affect the performance of a finished catheter – the most paramount being the properties of the raw material and the extrusion process. Careful consideration of the extrusion process is essential to ensure consistency and repeatability.

 

Single- or dual-screw extrusion is used to manufacture catheter tubing.

 

During the extrusion process, air at a specific pressure is used to obtain the intended tubing shape. A heat-transfer process begins as the polymer exits the die. Air is used as the initial cooling medium, followed by water in a cooling bath. A belt or wheel hauloff (puller) pulls the tube from the die and through the cooling bath
at a controlled speed.

 

Because of the complexity of catheter tube manufacturing, several parameters associated with the extrusion process may affect the properties of the finished product.1 These parameters include:

 

• Temperature profile.
• Initial method of drying the polymer granules.
• Temperature of the cooling bath.
• Tubing dimensions.
• Screw geometry.
• Rotational speed of the screw.
• The distance between the die head and the cooling bath.
• Polymer choice can also affect the finished product's properties..

 
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