Co-Extrusion Process for Medical Tubing

Co-Extrusion Process for Medical Tubing

Medical grade plastic tubing is used in a wide range of surgical procedures, including delivering medication, restricting blood flow, tying off wounds and for catheter systems.extrusion medical tube This tubing is commonly created through the extrusion process, where a molten polymer is pushed through a die to form it into the desired shape.

The resulting tubing is often customized with components like Y-connectors, hubs and strain reliefs for increased functionality.extrusion medical tube In many cases, these tubes must meet stringent requirements for cleanliness and biocompatibility in order to protect patients. For this reason, they must be made of materials that do not cause allergies or unfavorable reactions when exposed to the human body.

These strict standards require manufacturers to continually strive for improved production methods that will yield consistent, high-quality, fine-tolerance plastic tubing.extrusion medical tube The key quality parameters are dimensional stability and tight tolerances for OD, ID and wall thickness. With the continuing trend toward minimally invasive surgery techniques, medical devices are getting smaller, and as a result, tubing must be produced with even greater precision.

To accomplish these goals, manufacturers can employ the co-extrusion process, which allows multiple materials to be combined during the extrusion process in a single step.extrusion medical tube These co-extruded materials can include polyolefins, polyurethane and a variety of engineering plastics, as well as blends or alloys. Some of these compounds can be formulated with additives, such as drug-eluting ingredients and radiopacifiers for improved performance, which is especially important in the case of medical tubing.

With the right equipment, a manufacturer can produce fine-tolerance, medical-grade tubing that meets all regulatory requirements and will not pose any health risks.extrusion medical tube A properly engineered and maintained extrusion line will allow for the use of a wider range of materials and will provide excellent tube dimension stability. In addition, Graham Engineering offers a variety of downstream equipment for processing co-extruded medical tubes, such as encapsulated, color and/or x-ray-opaque stripes.

For more information on how to produce precision, fine-tolerance medical tubing, contact Graham Engineering today. Our team of experts can design a custom system that will work for your specific application. We also offer HMI systems from American Kuhne, which feature on-line trending of critical process variables, and can be tailored to your specific language preferences. This type of closed-loop control can help reduce a variety of common problems associated with fine-tolerance extrusion, such as degradation in an oversized fluted mixer, sensitivity or instability in the process, a poor design of the die, and more. To learn more, click here to read the full article. Or, to discuss your specific project with one of our experts, click here to request a quote. We look forward to hearing from you!

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