FEP Heat-Shrink Tubing: A Core Material in Medical Catheter Manufacturing
FEP Heat-Shrink Tubing: A Core Material in Medical Catheter Manufacturing
In the field of medical catheter manufacturing, FEP heat-shrink tubing (fluorinated ethylene propylene heat-shrink tubing) stands out as an indispensable material due to its exceptional performance. With its low friction coefficient, high temperature resistance, chemical inertness, and excellent transparency, FEP heat-shrink tubing provides reliable support for high-precision catheter production.
Characteristics of FEP Heat-Shrink Tubing
FEP heat-shrink tubing is a high-performance fluoropolymer with superior physical and chemical properties. Its low shrinkage temperature (approximately 210°C) makes it easier to process compared to PTFE, with typical shrinkage ratios of 1.3:1 or 1.6:1, allowing it to conform tightly to complex catheter shapes. FEP also offers high transparency, biocompatibility, and chemical inertness, ensuring stability in demanding medical environments.
Eco can customize FEP heat-shrink tubing in various sizes, shrinkage ratios, and thicknesses to meet specific requirements, providing enhanced tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and other performance improvements.
Catheter
Wide-Ranging Applications of FEP Heat-Shrink Tubing
1. Processing Aid in Catheter Manufacturing: FEP heat-shrink tubing is used to fuse multilayer catheter structures (such as PTFE liners, stainless steel braids, and Pebax outer layers), ensuring strong interlayer bonding. Its high transparency enables real-time monitoring of weld quality, significantly improving production efficiency and product consistency.
2. Minimally Invasive Interventional Catheters: In vascular intervention, cardiac electrophysiology, and neurointerventional catheters, FEP heat-shrink tubing serves as a temporary outer layer to protect inner materials and assist in forming. Its easy-peel feature minimizes surface scratches, meeting the high-precision requirements of microcatheters.
3. Guidewire and Coating Protection: FEP heat-shrink tubing is used for guidewire encapsulation, providing a low-friction surface to enhance pushability and abrasion resistance while protecting internal metal cores from corrosion.
4. Other Medical Applications: FEP heat-shrink tubing is widely used in endoscope sleeves, drug delivery devices, and laboratory fluid transfer tubing, with its chemical resistance and transparency ensuring long-term reliability.
5. Customized Design: FEP heat-shrink tubing can be processed into ultra-thin walls (as low as 0.05mm), meeting the needs of miniaturized catheters, particularly in pediatric or neurosurgical applications.
Industry Value and Future Outlook
FEP heat-shrink tubing, with its multifunctionality, significantly reduces the complexity and cost of catheter manufacturing while enhancing product performance. As minimally invasive surgeries gain popularity, the global FEP heat-shrink tubing market is expected to continue growing, driving the development of more precise and reliable medical devices.
Eco Polymer: Where Innovation Meets Excellence in Medical Device Manufacturing.
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