Ranica Arrowsmith, Associate Editor10.09.14
While “smaller and smaller” seems to be the push for many medical device sectors, such as electronics and surgical instrumentation, tubing is experiencing a unique push: lubricity. Lubricious additives is a demand almost every tubing manufacturer is seeing from its OEM clients, as end use cardiology and neurology applications demand increased sensitivity of movement and “pushability.”
PEEK (polyetheretherketone) has become something of a wonder material in recent years because of its strength and high temperature tolerances. It has very good pushability, or longitudinal stiffness capabilities—which basically means it can be pushed a long way before kinking. This makes it ideal for applications in tortuous in-patient applications, especially in catheters that go through long arteries or small, complex vascular systems. It is lubricious—but other plastics, specifically fluoropolymers are more so. Elevating PEEK’s lubricity to the level of fluoropolymers is a desirable achievement because of all its other benefits, and new science and engineering is making this a reality. New additives and technology now enabl
PEEK (polyetheretherketone) has become something of a wonder material in recent years because of its strength and high temperature tolerances. It has very good pushability, or longitudinal stiffness capabilities—which basically means it can be pushed a long way before kinking. This makes it ideal for applications in tortuous in-patient applications, especially in catheters that go through long arteries or small, complex vascular systems. It is lubricious—but other plastics, specifically fluoropolymers are more so. Elevating PEEK’s lubricity to the level of fluoropolymers is a desirable achievement because of all its other benefits, and new science and engineering is making this a reality. New additives and technology now enabl
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