Pioneer of peelable heat shrink tubing sector unveils latest innovations at the world’s largest MedTech event and leads charge towards catheter and guide wire miniaturisation

MD&M West stand number: 1086
EMBARGOED: Monday February 5th 2018 at 09:00 GMT

Materials specialist and pioneer of peelable heat shrink tubing (PHST) technology, Junkosha, is using the world’s largest medical technology event as the launchpad for its latest innovations, the first ultra-small PHST and high-shrink ratio PHST on the market. As part of its wider campaign to be at the forefront of precision engineered, miniaturised micro catheters and guide wires, Junkosha is leading the charge towards peelable heat shrink solutions that enable access to the most exacting parts of the vasculature with minimal impact on the patient.

Junkosha’s ultra-small PHST is the only suitable tubing for laminating jacket coating to tiny guide wires, for example 0.011” and 0.014”, leveraging the fact that PHST has a recovered ID down to 0.009”. These miniature guide wires are perfect for applications including the navigation of vessels to reach a lesion or vessel segment within, for example, the brain or heart. The high-shrink ratio PHST (2:1) is ideal for processes where tapered microcatheter shafts are used or where tolerance take-up is an issue.

Joe Rowan, President and CEO of USA and Europe for Junkosha, explains: “We have a deep heritage in materials science and fluoropolymers, which means our solutions are at the leading edge of what is possible. This capability has seen great uptake in the most demanding of applications where small French sizes are required. At this year’s MD&M West, we will showcase two such products that have been developed with Neurovascular and Cardiovascular catheters and guide wires in mind.

“Our aim is to answer customers’ unmet needs through technology innovation. As a part of this, we are being asked for solutions that take small to the next level. As medical professionals push the boundaries of what they require for minimally invasive procedures, we have taken the lead in designing solutions for a miniaturised medical technology future.”

Robert LaDuca, CEO of Duke Empirical, Inc., an innovative Medical Device Manufacturer adds: “As medical technology advances, device designers worldwide are being challenged to produce smaller and thinner micro catheters and guide wires which provide clinicians the ability to reach and treat previously inaccessible anatomical targets. The extension of minimally invasive treatment options for previously untreatable patient populations has created a need for new tools used in catheter manufacturing, such as the peelable heat shrink tubing products provided by Junkosha. In our experience, these new tools have been cost-effective in reducing scrap rates while increasing throughput by shortening assembly time.

“In addition, these new products by Junkosha enable the manufacture of products which previously would not have been possible due to the challenges of heat shrink removal from delicate soft polymers used in certain high-performance catheters,” continues LaDuca. “In the future, we anticipate the utilisation of miniaturised catheter solutions will be widely adopted by most medical manufacturers working on the leading edge of microcatheter technology.”

MD&M West is the world’s largest medical technology event providing four in-depth conference tracks and an exhibition incorporating a full spectrum of solutions across the advanced design and manufacturing supply chain. Held between 6-8th February, MD&M west is located at the Anaheim Convention Centre in Anaheim, California.

For further information about MD&M West, click here: https://mdmwest.mddionline.com/

For more information on Junkosha, click here: http://www.junkosha.co.jp/english/. If you would like to order a sample, please click on http://www.junkosha.co.jp/english/products/tube/i04.html.

ENDS

This release has been issued on behalf of Junkosha by Kredo Consulting Ltd. For further information please contact Philip Hicks on phil@kredoconsulting.com or +44 (0) 7467 510339 or Andy Parker on andy@kredoconsulting.com or +44 (0) 7860 833036.

About Junkosha

Junkosha are pioneers of sophisticated fluoropolymer application technologies across medical device and microwave interconnect sectors. With three operations in Japan, including its headquarters as well as sites in the US, UK and China, it is one of the best kept advanced technology secrets outside of Japan. The company provides tube and fitting products, including generic resin tubes, fluoropolymer tubes, high-barrier tubes, flexible multi-layered tubes, industrial hoses, degassing modules, heat-shrinkable tubes, and the market leading peelable heat shrink tubes. It also provides wire and cable products, including microwave interconnects, robot cables, high data rate cables, camera link cable assemblies, ultrafine coaxial cables and assemblies, cables for clean environments, and general wires and cables.