Hypodermic Tubes

Hypodermic Tube Coating

A hypodermic tube or “hypo tube” is a long metal tube with micro-engineered features along its length. It is a critical component of minimally invasive catheters, used in conjunction with balloons and stents to open up clogged arteries.

Hypodermic tubing is usually coated in insulation which is stripped back in order to make connections. Find out more below about the optimal method of removing insultation from hypodermic tubing.

What is a Hypodermic Tube?

A hypodermic tube is a piece of long stainless steel tubing with micro-engineered features along its length. These tubes can vary in size, but it is a critical component of many minimally invasive catheters, used in conjunction with balloons and stents to open up clogged arteries as they are frequently used as the needle points to gain access.

The tubing is often coated by a thick bio-compatible extruded layer composed of such materials as PTFE, ETFE or nylon-based compounds. 

It is this coating which must be removed at the end of the tube for connection to the medical device, such as an angioplasty balloon.

The Solution

Hypodermic tubing is known for its strength, uniformity, and corrosion resistance, so a strong and clean method of removing the extruded layer is required.

Our laser technology is proving to be a popular alternative to more traditional blade based methods primarily due to the ability to automate the process.