Junkosha announced a new catheter liner category, called Wrapped Liner, at MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis. The company said the category represents a different approach to liner construction and draws on decades of experience in sophisticated fluoropolymer technologies.
Instead of extruding a complete tube, the process wraps PTFE film around a mandrel to build the liner wall. Junkosha said it applies proprietary PTFE tape engineering and wrapping technology to create an alternative liner platform. By engineering the tape’s properties, the company aims to achieve a thin, uniform wall thickness with high tensile strength and flexibility.
A different construction route
Junkosha said the resulting liner platform is designed to give catheter designers and manufacturers greater freedom to select finer braid or coil wire, or to reallocate space elsewhere in the catheter construction. The company described the category as a scalable platform intended to support a growing portfolio of solutions for evolving catheter requirements.
Balancing thin walls and strength
Steve Maxson, founder of Maxson InSight Services, said in the announcement that “profile is king” for catheter engineers, but a low-profile design involves more than reducing wall thickness. He said the catheter still has to resist kinking and ovalization while keeping the flexibility its application needs. Maxson noted that extruded and film-cast liners are already available with very thin walls; the opportunity lies in how thin-wall construction and strength work together to change how engineers approach catheter design.
Junkosha said that balance is a linchpin for new catheter development because it may create greater flexibility in how reinforcement is configured.
Targeting small-format OEMs
Kevin LaDow, chief sales officer of Junkosha USA Inc., said current catheter liners are either dip-coated PTFE built up on a mandrel or extruded PTFE supplied as tubing cut to length. He said that as the industry heads into 2027, there is a need for a new liner category that is not only manufactured differently but also provides unique benefits for small-format catheter OEMs.
According to Junkosha, the approach is intended to extend catheter design possibilities and support next-generation devices designed to enhance flexibility and broaden the range of anatomies that may be accessed and treated. Junkosha framed the platform around small-format catheter OEMs and next-generation device development. The announcement did not provide specific wall-thickness figures or test results.