Articles / Profiles
Extrusion Evolution
Extrusion customers want tighter tolerances, better performance and lower cost.
by Mark Crawford / Medical Product Outsourcing / March 2010
Keeping the customer satisfied” is unquestionably
sound business strategy—yet it is also harder
to do, especially in an uncertain economy, as customer
expectations continue to rise. Better precision,
greater strengths, new materials, smaller sizes
and better quality are all in high demand these
days (and expected at a lower cost, of course).
“Clients are requesting tighter tolerances,
greater function, thinner profiles and faster lead
times,” said Krissi Heard, a technical sales
representative with MicroLumen in Tampa, Fla.,
a producer of polyimide tubing and custom co-extrusions. “They
also want tubing with multi-functionality. We can
manufacture a tube with a multi-durometer shaft
that’s PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)-lined,
braid-reinforced with stainless steel and has a
laser-ablated outer diameter (OD). The biggest
challenge for us is meeting an unrealistic due
date as the design engineers needed parts yesterday.
One flaw in one part of the process can have a
trickle-down effect that slows everything else
down.”
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more
Tubing
Designs Bring Extrusion Challenges
Medical tubing designs are getting more
complex, which has led some companies to rethink
their extrusion processes.
by Erik Swain / Medical Product Outsourcing / Mar. 09
Medical tubing looks like a simple component,
but it isn’t. Most medical tubes are made
by extrusion, which is a complicated, dynamic process.
In recent years, the process has gotten even more
complicated. New applications sometimes require
combinations of properties that previously weren’t
found together. Not only must a medical OEM and
its extrusion outsourcing partner design a tube
that can meet these requirements, they must make
sure it can be processed properly and consistently.
> Read
more
Polyimide
Tubing: Dispelling the Myths
by Timothy J. Lynch / Operations Manager /
Microlumen / May 2008
The capabilities and potential of polyimide and
polyimide tubing are gaining popularity in the
medical design market place as a result of the
increasing need for minimally invasive surgical
devices. This article looks at the myths surrounding
the tubing to better understand its advantages
for medical applications.
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More
Tubing:
Doing More with Less
Free Webcast
Originally broadcast on Wednesday, April 9, 2008,
2:00 pm EDT
Duration: 60-minutes
Experts forecast that the U.S. market for minimally
invasive devices and instruments will balloon to
$11 billion by 2011. But, along with the potential
for profit, the multi-billion-dollar market is presenting
new challenges to the tubing industry as it demands
tighter tolerances, thinner walls, biocompatible
materials, and greater functionality in a much smaller
package. In this FREE Webcast, “Tubing: Doing
More with Less,” hosted by Medical Product
Manufacturing News and sponsored by MicroLumen Inc.
and Zeus Inc., speakers address these emerging demands
and how to optimize tubing for your minimally invasive
product.
> Watch
Webcast
Improving
Outcomes With Extrusion
Tighter Tolerances and Increased
Use of Customized Materials and
Processes Are Combining to Create
Better Products and Outcomes
by Stacey L. Bell / Editor at Large / Medical Product
Outsourcing / Mar. 08
If there's an overarching theme for the medical
device industry these days, it's "Do more with
less." From striving to miniaturize devices
and add more capabilities in an ever-tinier footprint
to finding ways to cut costs throughout the entire
manufacturing process, OEMs are relying on their
outsourcing partners for help like never before.
> Read
more
Tubing
Comes Into Its Own
As an Integral Component of
Minimally Invasive Surgery, Quality
Medical Tubing Is in Great Demand
by Frank Celia / Contributing Writer / Medical Product
Outsourcing / Oct. 07
Minimally invasive surgery is that rarest phenomenon
in the medical world: something everybody loves.
Surgeons love it because it lowers postoperative
complications and liability. Insurance companies
love it because lowers costs. Patients love it because
it reduces pain and shortens hospital stays. And
governments love it for all those reasons combined.
It’s not every day that these four groups get
on the same page about anything.
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more
Tackling
Change
Despite Market Pressures, Extruders
Turn to New Technology and Methods
to Meet Evolving OEM Demands
by Jennifer Whitney / Editor / Medical Product Outsourcing
/ Mar. 07
There’s no denying that the medical device
industry has made its share of recent headlines.
Coverage of breakthrough technologies, questions
about the safety of blockbuster devices (eg, drug-coated
stents and implantable cardioverter defibrillators)
and a series of high-profile corporate mergers have
made it out of the trade press and into mainstream
media.
> Read
more
Going
the Extra Mile
Tubing Providers Tackle MIS,
Other Tricky Needs While Adding
Value Through Additional Services
and Processes
by Jennifer Whitney / Medical Product Outsourcing
/ Oct. 06
Years ago, neurosurgery was a procedure that could
evoke nightmares, given what was involved. After
drilling several holes into a skull, a surgeon would
then remove the skullcap to reach brain matter. It’s
not difficult to surmise that a long, probably painful
patient recovery would follow.
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more
A
Tube for all Occasions
Tighter Tolerances Are Key
to Development Of Minimally Invasive
Medical Devices
by Ed Kensik / Associate Editor / Medical Product
Outsourcing / Oct. 05
Despite demand for tighter tolerances, faster turnaround
times and spiraling material costs, custom metal
and plastic tubing suppliers and contract manufacturers
are receiving high grades in sales as many are experiencing
double-digit growth.
> Read
more
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