Medical Design Briefs - July 2022 - 17

Tubing Technologies
Different processing options have led
to groundbreaking ways of producing
tubing. When customers partner with
medical device component manufacturers
that utilize the latest capabilities and
technologies, they can create solutions
that optimize the performance and usability
of medical devices.
High-precision microextrusion and
thin-walled tubing. Microextrusion
processing performing below the submillimeter
(0.1 mm) range employs
modified equipment featuring innovations
in extrusion head, tool, and
screw designs. Microextruded, thinwalled
tubing can be manufactured
down to 0.05 mm/0.002 in. and with
outside and inside diameters down to
0.25 mm/0.004 in., potentially for use
in minimally invasive surgical (MIS)
procedures.
Multicomponent extrusion. Multiple
materials can be simultaneously extruded
within the same tube to account for
differing properties and media interactions.
The most common example of
this capability is the inclusion of a radiopaque
stripe, which typically incorporates
a barium sulfate-loaded silicone as
the stripe used to locate the device in an
x-ray or fluoroscope, but this inclusion
can also be used to vary hardness of specific
contact surfaces or to facilitate
downstream assembly through color
coding of lumen.
Extruded ribbon and film. Silicone
tape, sheet, and ribbon can be extruded
up to 152 mm/6 in. in width
with a thickness down to 0.13
mm/0.005 in. Such ribbon can be
supplied in spools with carriers and
slip sheets or as punched seals or diaphragms
to support sealing applications
in devices such as pacemaker
generator housings.
Reinforced and kink-resistant tubing.
Silicone tubes can be reinforced in a variety
of ways, from polyester and stainless-steel
braids for expansion-, elongation-,
and burst-resistance to spiral
reinforcement with nylon monofilament
for kink- and crush-resistance to keep fluid
paths open. Reinforcement is customizable,
and tubes can be made to specific
precision tolerances.
Silicone tubing reinforced with polyester
braid can also be used to resist abrasion
under cyclic loading, such as in pacing
leads. The outer covers can be
Medical Design Briefs, July 2022
pigmented if required. Care must be taken
to verify that the mechanical properties
of reinforcing materials are not compromised
by the heat required to cure the
silicone.
Jacketed wires and cables. Wire and cable
assemblies up to 5.08 mm/0.2 in.,
such as those used to power implantable
heart pumps, can be jacketed with one or
more layers of silicone to precision tolerances.
Such products can be supplied on
spools or cut to length. Like reinforced
tubing, care must be taken to verify that
the mechanical properties of reinforcing
materials are not compromised by the
heat required to cure the silicone.
Custom profiles. Custom profiles often
do not include lumen and are used
Expanding production capacity
To meet your medical device needs
For over 75 years, MICRO has continually
expanded our capabilities in order to provide
our customers with the finest in full service
Medical Device contract manufacturing.
The latest addition to our global footprint
is a newly facilitated 32,000 sq. ft. location
in Costa Rica featuring clean room
assembly and light manufacturing.
This recently added piece of the puzzle will
continue to allow us to fulfill our Vision:
" To Help Our Customers Save Lives "
Contact us today to discuss your next project: sales@micro-co.com
FDA Registered * ISO 13485 * ISO 9001 * ISO 14001
MICRO 140 Belmont Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873 USA * Tel: 732 302 0800 * www.micro-co.com
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Medical Design Briefs - July 2022

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