Micro Tubing Advances Help Push Medical Device Boundaries

23 April 21

Micro Tubing and Medical Science

There has been much technologically important advancement in the field of micro extrusion.  The use of advanced changes in the micro tubing extrusion has helped many researchers in penetrating the field of medical science and making mind-boggling improvements. It is vital to come up with new techniques in manufacturing micro tubing and pushing the medical boundaries.

Moreover, the need for implementing the use of micro tubing is due to the rising demand for instruments in miniature size. Miniaturization is becoming a new trend. The reason it is becoming a popular way for micro tubing is to perform medical operations with minimum invasive techniques.

The work is underway in which the micro tubing sizes minimize to cater to the ever-increasing need for micro-sized medical instruments. Some can even range from 0.06 to 0.1 inches.

Advancements in Micro Tubing

There are many things that need revision when advancement is taking place on the existing micro tubing extrusions. There are a lot of things to consider when making improvements all over.  Whereas, the main focus remains the miniaturization of the medical tools there are other things that are as important as its size.

The other factors involved in the enhancement of working and functionality also devise an effective way to reduce cost. The increased number of advancements in the functionality of micro tubing is helping the medical field by providing a very wide range of tubing solutions.  The vast number of solutions means that they can cater to different medical tools like catheters, medical restrictors, and much more.

Further on, when we talk about micro extrusion, the conventional way of making tubes remains the same. It is the injection molding technique.  The injection molding technique is great in adding flexibility along with a sturdy tube structure. This is a feasible way of making the tubes because it is easier to make alterations in the design later on. It is easier to change the injection mold size if a change in the design and size is required.

In contrast with the extruding process, the injection molding is much lengthier and costlier. Although it is a good enough way of making medical tubes, extrusion takes way lesser time and is much cheaper than injection molding. The only change required when tubing needs alteration is by making adjustments to the extruder.

Hence, micro extrusion allows the changes in the dimensions of the tube. This is a more efficient way that is much more flexible and better in quality than the tubes produced through injection molding.

Design for Micro Tubing

When it comes to the design features of any tubing solution, the most critical factor is material selection.  Especially in medical tools, the properties of the material used needs special consideration. According to the International standards marked for the materials used for the construction of medical equipment, they need to follow some set benchmarks.  If they do not fall on the set criteria, it is useless to employ them in the making of micro tubing.

The materials must have the following properties in order to fulfill their destiny as a tubing solution.  First and foremost, it should be able to endure temperatures at very high ranges and for very long time periods.  Some of these materials include nylon and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP).   Moreover, they must handle the extrusion pressure without altering the original properties of the material.

There are two types of extrusions.  One is the extrusion process used in general kinds of procedures and the other one is micro extrusion. The simple extrusion can intake more amount of material to process at a single time. Whereas, micro extrusion, as the name suggests, involves using smaller quantities of material. Plus, it consumes more time in order to achieve a desirable shape for the required performance and physical qualities.

It is only due to the micro extrusion, that manufacturers are able to manufacture customizable options for micro tubing.  Now they are able to achieve miniature sizes needed in micro tubing otherwise this is not possible through conventional extrusion.  This process can substantially reduce the internal diameter up to 0.1 millimeters and the wall thickness of 0.05 millimeters.  This is a huge success in the world of Medical Science because it facilities micro procedures like micro-catheters, micro IV cannulas, and many other similar applications.

Processing Materials for Improved Micro Tubing

There are different technologies involved in micro extrusion.  All the mixture of techniques makes up the tube.  There are many materials used in micro tubing. Sometimes you can even make use of more than two materials to form a single tube.

Using different materials for each layer can add to the qualities of the tube.  Nowadays, manufacturers are even incorporating thermoplastics because they can endure high temperatures and are much more robust than other materials. It is a great boon if the materials used in the tubing solution can support resistance to chemical reactions, bending, and kinks.

Some other viable qualities that make a material suitable for use in micro tubing are its ultraviolet stability, physical compatibility with other layers, and sterility. The general specifications for the internal diameter start from 0.01 millimeters and the wall thickness does not exceed 0.05 millimeters. The tolerance level stays up to 0.02 millimeters.  All in all, the complete tube can have up to four layers.  There is a customization option available for these layers. This means that the user can specify his needs and get the materials used in each layer altered. This is why it has worldwide acclamation.

Summary

The modern techniques used in the environment advancements for manufacturing micro tubing are pushing the medical boundary and urgent it to surpass all the limitations. The use of micro extrusion helps a lot. It creates miniature sizes for tubing solutions that can help in performing different medical procedures.  Their ability to cater to different medical applications makes it a feasible choice amongst the medical industry.

For More Information, Contact Us Today!