Putnam Adds FEP Heat Shrink Tubing to Product Mix

Putnam Plastics Corp., which has produced advanced extrusions for minimally invasive medical devices for more than 40 years, has added FEP heat shrink tubing to its lineup of products. This latest offering reinforces Putnam’s commitment to innovation and customer-centric solutions in the medical device industry, according to the company.

Putnam’s FEP heat shrink tubing is manufactured without any processing aids, including silicone oil, which the company says is unque. This eliminates potential bonding and contamination issues commonly associated with traditional heat shrink materials. A significantly lower lineal shrinkage rate is an additional advantage of Putnam’s heat shrink compared to competitors. Featuring less than 5% lineal shrinkage, Putnam’s FEP heat shrink tubing may provide increased tensile values on certain bonded catheter shafts.

Recent investments into its manufacturing capacity has enabled Putnam to provide quick turnaround times for FEP heat shrink tubing. Lead times for both standard and custom sizes can be as quick as four weeks. Standard wall thicknesses range as low as 0.006 in. in diameter up to 0.020 in., providing flexibility to meet specific application requirements. For custom sizes, wall thicknesses as low as 0.004 in. can be achieved.

Additionally, Putnam’s heat shrink tubing offers expanded inner diameters up to 0.375 in. and an expansion rate of up to 1.7 times the original size.

“As catheter manufacturers ourselves, we were hampered by excessive lead times for custom and standard sizes of heat shrink,” says Bob St. John, senior catheter engineer at Putnam Plastics. “Because of that, we started manufacturing our own heat shrink in-house. Combining our extrusion capabilities and understanding of catheter assembly, we have developed a product with excellent performance characteristics.”