Putnam Plastics Corporation is increasing its range of custom PEEK extrusions for medical devices to include large diameter, thin wall tubing for endoscopy and laparoscopy procedures. This new offering extends Putnam’s thin wall, PEEK tubing range from microcatheter sizes up to 1" (25.4mm) diameter.
The polymer’s flexural modulus of 595,000psi, nearly 10% higher than polyimide, provides excellent pushability and buckling resistance for thin wall tubes used in minimally invasive devices. Unlike polyimide, PEEK is melt processible and can be extruded in large diameter, thin wall tubes.
Putnam’s single lumen PEEK extrusions include vascular catheters with diameters as small as 0.010" (0.254mm) and wall thicknesses of 0.002" (0.050mm). Larger extrusions for non-vascular applications, such as natural orifice transluminal endoscopy surgery (NOTES) devices, are available in diameters up to 1" (25.4mm) with 0.010" (0.254mm) wall thicknesses. Thin wall PEEK tubing can be manufactured semi-transparent or in custom colors. Putnam also offers plasma enhanced printing on PEEK tubing.
“Processing temperatures for PEEK are much higher than traditional catheter materials such as urethanes and polyamides,” says Larry Alpert, new product development manager at Putnam. “Few companies have the temperature capabilities or controls to extrude PEEK and those that do often focus on either small diameter tubes or large, solid shapes since they are somewhat easier than large, thin wall PEEK extrusions. Larger tubes provide new possibilities for emerging medical devices.”