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Advancing Precision and Performance in Modern Medical Devices
There is increasing demand for minimally invasive medical interventions. This has accelerated the development of new designs for medical devices, such as catheters and guidewires. A key material used in the design of these devices is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is used extensively in liners and tubing products. This is because it offers a number of desirable properties, such as low friction, chemical resistance, temperature resistance, and biocompatibility. Hydromer® PTFE liners and tubing products provide smoother movement of medical devices, improve torsional forces, increase flexibility, and reduce friction when working through complex procedures.
There is also an overall trend toward creating smaller, more precise medical devices. Hydromer®’s PTFE liner technology is able to help in this area through the production of very thin-walled tubing that have both extremely accurate dimensional tolerances and adequate strength and flexibility for clinical use.
In this article we will cover Hydromer® PTFE liners and tubing products. We also look at their specialized manufacturing and tubing services, both of which provide precision-engineered solutions for today’s modern interventional medical device manufacturers.1,2 First, however, we provide an introduction to PTFE’s properties and why it is a good fit for minimally invasive medical device applications.
Properties of PTFE & Why it is Ideal for Medical Liners and Tubing
PTFE offers a unique combination of properties that make it highly suitable for demanding medical applications,3 including liners and tubing. We cover each of these properties in brief detail below.
To learn more about PTFE, read our introductory guide titled The Science Behind PTFE Low Friction Medical Tubing and Liners.
1. Extremely Low Coefficient of Friction (CoF)
- PTFE’s low CoF allows guidewires, coils, and interventional devices to maneuver through the catheter lumen with very little resistance. It also helps increase procedural efficiency and provide better physician control.
- The low-friction surface also helps prevent wear between the moving components of the device.
- Lubricity provides less force when advancing through tortuous anatomy.
2. Exceptional Chemical Resistance
- This property guarantees that materials will be stable over time and will be compatible with high-performance processing facilities.
3. High Thermal Stability
- PTFE maintains performance across a wide range of temperature environments.
- It is compatible with autoclave sterilization, ethylene oxide sterilization, and thermal processing environments.
4. Biocompatibility
PTFE’s biocompatibility makes it suitable for medical devices used in cardiovascular, neurovascular, urological, and gastrointestinal procedures.
The Growing Importance of PTFE in Minimally Invasive Medical Devices
The demand for thinner and more flexible/functional catheter systems continues to rise due largely to steady advances in minimally invasive technology. There is an increased expectation for devices to be able to navigate complex anatomy while having high precision and stability. In other words, there are high expectations for these devices’ capability.3,4
PTFE liners and tubing support these requirements by enabling:
- Smooth guidewire movement
- Enhanced torque transmission
- Reduced device coefficient of friction
- Improved catheter flexibility
- Smaller device profiles
- Better kink resistance when combined with reinforcement structures
Modern neurovascular, cardiovascular, peripheral vascular, and urological devices frequently rely on PTFE-based liner systems. Applications of PTFE liners and tubing include guiding catheters, balloon catheters, introducer sheaths, microcatheters, stent delivery systems, and multi-lumen catheter architectures.
Overview of Hydromer® PTFE Liners and Tubing Products (Technologies)
Hydromer has a range of PTFE liners and tubing products that meet different catheter and medical device requirements. Each technology has unique benefits to meet the needs of the products that will use them.1,2
In the sections below we give a brief introduction to each of Hydromer’s PTFE liners and tubing products.
1. Hydromer® PTFE Liner Products
We provide three mainstream PTFE liner production processes including: Free Extrusion/Over-The-Wire Extrusion (OTW)/Dip Coating. Our engineers will select the appropriate process based on different application scenarios and catheter designs. The goal is to better match the combination of size, strength and flexibility to meet your specific application needs. This allows our company to provide medical device manufacturers with more options for designing medical devices of the next-generation.
Some key highlights of Hydromer® PTFE liners include:
- Ultra-thin wall thickness
- Industry-leading tolerance
- Surface etching
- Excellent tensile strength and flexibility
- High lubricity
Below we briefly cover each of our liner products.
MatrixLiner® Free-Extruded PTFE Liner
Hydromer’s MatrixLiner® uses a special process to shape PTFE into a liner. During this extrusion process, the PTFE resin particles are pulled apart and stretched into long, fiber-like structures that line up along the direction of extrusion. Because the fibers are aligned this way, the liner becomes much stronger and stiffer
The MatrixLiner® platform includes:
- ToughFlex® (TF) for high yield strength
- ElastiFlex® (EF) for enhanced elasticity and flexibility
These liners can achieve wall thicknesses as low as:
- 0.0005 inches
- 0.00075 inches
- 0.001 inches
They also offer extremely tight tolerances.
Suitable Applications:
The free-extrusion process is particularly beneficial for applications requiring:
- High column strength
- Improved pushability
- Better torque response
- Structural reinforcement
MatrixLiner® Over-the-Wire (OTW) Extruded PTFE Liners
Hydromer uses two special manufacturing methods, free extrusion and core mandrel casting together. This allows us to make liners that are both very strong and very flexible in a single process.
Hydromer uses an OTW liner technique that boosts production efficiency by 20–30% while keeping the liners’ dimensions consistent and accurate.
Key specifications of our MatrixLiner® Over-the-Wire (OTW) Extruded PTFE Liners include:
| Feature | OTW Extruded PTFE Liners |
|---|---|
| Inner Diameter Range | 0.012–0.092 inches |
| Wall Thickness | 0.0005–0.001 inches |
| ID Tolerance | 0.0002–0.0005 inches |
| Wall Tolerance | 0.00015–0.00025 inches |
Suitable Applications:
These characteristics make MatrixLiner® Over-the-Wire (OTW) Extruded PTFE Liners highly suitable for applications such as:
- Neurovascular devices
- Guide catheters
- Balloon catheters
- Microcatheters
- Steerable catheter systems
MorphoLiner® Cast PTFE Liners
The MorphoLiner® technology from Hydromer uses a mandrel and a dip-coating process to make very soft, flexible PTFE liners with very thin walls. Unlike extrusion, dip-coating does not align the PTFE’s molecular chains. This creates an isotropic structure, which makes the liners more flexible and better able to conform to shapes.
Available wall thicknesses include:
- 0.00025 inches
- 0.0005 inches
- 0.00075 inches
The process also incorporates a thin thermoplastic tie layer that enhances bonding performance within multilayer catheter constructions.
Suitable Applications:
MorphoLiner® systems are especially valuable in applications requiring:
- Soft catheter transitions
- Enhanced distal flexibility
- Delicate vessel navigation
- Improved trackability
2. Hydromer® PTFE Tubing Products
PTFE Mini Tubing for Ultra-Precision Devices
One major trend in modern interventional medicine is the push to make devices smaller. Hydromer is helping enable this trend. Leveraging our advanced extrusion technology, we make MatrixLiner® PTFE mini-tubing, which are micro-scale liners. Our mini tubing have ultra-small inner diameters ranging from 0.004–0.014 inches (0.10–0.35 mm) and wall thicknesses between 0.0005–0.001 inches. At the same time, the tubes maintain tight dimensional tolerances of ±0.0005 inches.
Suitable Applications:
These micro-scale tubing systems are specifically designed for:
- Steerable catheters
- Coil delivery systems
- Neurovascular devices
- Deflectable catheters
- Electrophysiology catheters
Our mini tubing enables integration of pull wires and internal actuation systems, allowing highly precise distal-tip manipulation and improved physician control during complex procedures.
Multi-Lumen PTFE Tubing
Modern catheter systems increasingly incorporate multiple functional channels within a single device. Our custom, PTFE Multi-Lumen Tubing consist of one large, central, lumen with 1-4 external satellite lumens.
How are these used?
Multi-lumen PTFE tubing enables integration of:
- Guidewire lumens
- Steering wires
- Fluid delivery channels
- Sensor pathways
- Electrical conductors
Hydromer’s multi-lumen PTFE tubing may include:
- One central lumen with 1–4 satellite lumens
- Internal, external, or embedded lumen configurations
- Circular or elliptical lumen geometries
These advanced architectures simplify the manufacturing of steerable catheters and support highly sophisticated interventional systems.
PTFE Heat-Shrink Tubing
Hydromer also offers high-performance PTFE heat-shrink tubing engineered for medical device encapsulation, insulation, and reinforcement applications.
Key advantages of our PTFE Heat-Shrink Tubing include:
- Ultra-thin wall thicknesses as low as 0.01 mm
- Heat-shrink ratios from 2:1 to 6:1
- Excellent electrical insulation
- High-temperature resistance
- Chemical stability
- Smooth, wrinkle-free shrink performance
Suitable Applications:
These tubing systems are widely used in:
- Urological guidewires
- Electrosurgical instruments
- Catheter reinforcement
- Electrode insulation
- Endoscopy systems
PTFE Zebra Heat-Shrink Tubing
Hydromer PTFE Zebra Heat-Shrink Tubing is a specialized variation of heat-shrink tube. These zebra (or spiral) tubes incorporate highly visible colored spiral stripes that improve visualization during procedures.
Benefits of our tubing systems include:
- Excellent lubricity
- High dielectric performance
- Resistance to corrosion and moisture
- Sterilization compatibility
- Enhanced procedural visibility
Suitable Applications:
- Insulation systems
- Endoscopy
- Guidewire integration
- Urological interventions
Hydromer’s Precision Manufacturing and Dimensional Control
Manufacturing PTFE liners is difficult. This is because the dimensions must be kept exactly the same. This is especially true for the wall thickness and the lumen diameter, which are very small. Even tiny variations in wall thickness or lumen size can greatly affect how the catheter works, how parts bond together, and how well the catheter fits with other pieces during assembly.
Hydromer’s manufacturing processes are precision-oriented. We are able to provide:
- Tight wall thickness tolerances
- Consistent inner diameters
- Uniform mechanical properties
- Reliable production repeatability
- Fast manufacturing turnaround
Next-generation minimally invasive devices will require ultra-thin walls for structural integrity, as every fraction of a millimeter will be critical to performance. Our production capabilities and customization will help device manufacturers reach these ever-demanding goals.
Integration with Hydrophilic Coatings
Hydrophilic medical device coatings are used extensively in medical devices. They serve as a complementary technology to PTFE liners. Together, these products help achieve lubricity properties and improve the overall performance characteristics of a device. The combination of PTFE liner technology and hydrophilic coatings results in highly lubricious systems. These devices allow for easier navigation of complex anatomical structures and provide physicians with greater control of their patients’ safety during procedures.
Hydromer® provides medical device manufacturers with a single source of advanced hydrophilic medical coatings and PTFE liners and tubing products.
Advantages of Hydromer® PTFE Liners and Tubing Products
Our advanced PTFE liner and tubing technologies provide several advantages for medical device manufacturers. These include:
- Ultra-Thin Wall Capability: Advanced processing methods enable exceptionally thin walls while preserving strength and flexibility. This supports device miniaturization without sacrificing performance.
- Tight Dimensional Tolerances: Precision manufacturing allows highly controlled dimensions critical for catheter consistency and assembly.
- Customizable Mechanical Properties: Different processing technologies enable tailored combinations of stiffness, flexibility, elongation, and strength.
- Support for Complex Catheter Architectures: Multi-lumen configurations and miniature tubing capabilities support advanced interventional device designs.
- One Supplier for PTFE Liners and Tubing as well as Hydrophilic Coatings: Hydromer’s expertise allows device manufacturers to source the products they need to design and manufacture advanced, lubricous medical devices.
Conclusion
Modern medical devices often rely on PTFE tubing and liners. This fluoropolymer offers exceptional lubricity, resistance to chemicals and water, flexibility, and precise manufacturing. These are all qualities that make PTFE essential for minimally invasive procedures.
Hydromer, Inc. makes a range of PTFE liners and tubing products using advanced manufacturing methods. This shows Hydromer’s commitment to creating specialized solutions that meet changing engineering and clinical needs. Hydromer’s advanced hydrophilic coatings are complementary to their PTFE liners. This helps in the improvement of medical device navigation, increases procedural accuracy, and helps achieve better patient outcomes.
