Catheters are critical tools in modern medicine, enabling minimally invasive procedures across cardiovascular, neurovascular, urological, and other therapeutic areas. Catheter systems are complex, often integrating flexible shafts, steering mechanisms, embedded conductors, balloons, and coatings to meet highly specific clinical functions.
Manufacturing these devices requires precision engineering, high-performance materials, and tight process control. A core component of this process is extruded thermoplastic tubing, which serves as the structural backbone for many catheter systems.
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Extrusion is foundational to catheter manufacturing. It provides the shaft structure—often multi-lumen or coextruded—that supports functional elements like guidewires, fluid pathways, electrical conductors, and control wires. The tubing must balance flexibility, strength, kink resistance, and compatibility with downstream assembly and sterilization methods.
At Medical Extrusion Technologies (MET), we specialize in the production of custom medical-grade plastic tubing that supports catheter system performance. Our components are used by OEMs and device manufacturers to build catheter shafts and delivery systems that meet demanding clinical and regulatory requirements.
MET manufactures precision tubing using high-performance thermoplastics, including:
All extrusion is performed in controlled environments with in-house tooling design and tight process monitoring. From simple access sheath tubing to highly engineered multi-lumen shafts, MET provides the tubing that forms the starting point for advanced catheter assemblies.
MET works closely with R&D and engineering teams to support catheter development from early prototypes to production-scale volumes. Our extrusion capabilities are fully customizable, enabling close alignment with customer design goals and performance targets.
We offer:
Once specifications are finalized, we provide consistent, repeatable tubing that meets the exacting standards of medical manufacturing.
Consistent extrusion quality is essential to device reliability. MET integrates ASTM-compliant testing into the manufacturing process to verify key material and mechanical properties, including:
While downstream testing like burst pressure or fatigue analysis is typically conducted by OEMs during final device validation, the integrity of the extrusion component is a critical input to those evaluations.
As catheter-based therapies evolve, extrusion requirements are becoming more complex. Recent trends influencing extrusion design include:
MET continuously updates its material knowledge and tooling capabilities to accommodate emerging requirements and next-generation catheter systems.
Medical Extrusion Technologies is a trusted partner for component-level support in catheter manufacturing. We don’t produce finished devices — instead, we focus on delivering high-precision tubing components that enable downstream innovation and performance.
With decades of experience, rapid development cycles, and in-house quality control, we help medical device manufacturers bring new catheter-based systems to life with confidence.
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