Wayne, Pa. (January 24, 2019) — Tekni-Plex has installed an additional silicone tubing extrusion line in its Suzhou, China manufacturing facility that will increase capacity and enable the addition of smaller sizes.
The new tubing capability range features an inside diameter of 0.2-25 mm (0.0079-0.984 inches), with wall thicknesses ranging from 0.10-3.0 mm (0.0039-0.118 inches), and tolerances as low as +/- 0.03 mm (0.001 inch). This newly expanded range of Natvar single-lumen silicone tubing is intended to better serve a range of medical pump applications, including peristaltic and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps.
Silicone tubing can withstand a wide range of temperatures and chemicals while maintaining strength and flexibility. Additionally, it does not support microbiological growth, making it ideal for medical and pharmaceutical pump applications. For peristaltic pumps, tubing size and tolerance is critical. The wall thickness of the tube must precisely match the gap between the pump roller and housing. Slight differences or irregularities in wall thickness can significantly reduce the life of a pump. Tekni-Plex’s silicone tubing offers tolerances as low as +/- 0.03 mm (0.001 inches).
“The ability to supply tight tolerances in silicone tubing from our China facility will be of interest to pump manufacturers who assemble their medical devices in the region and have had challenges sourcing quality tubing,” explains Bob Donohue, general manager, Natvar, a Tekni-Plex business. “Further, our manufacturing capability in China is backed by Tekni-Plex’s global technology base.”
The Suzhou facility opened in 2017, backed by a $15 million investment to support the growing needs of the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical and medical device markets, as well as to provide a secondary supply source for other regions.
About Natvar
Natvar is an innovative global supplier of medical tubing solutions for a broad spectrum of medical device products that target hospital, physician, dental healthcare and in-home use. Its global footprint is supported by five manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Costa Rica, China and Belgium. Natvar’s precision-crafted tubing solutions are used by leading medical device companies around the world for applications such as intravenous therapy, dialysis, cardiac surgery and many others. For more information visit www.natvar.com.
About Tekni-Plex, Inc.
Tekni-Plex is a globally-integrated company focused on developing and manufacturing innovative packaging materials, medical compounds and precision-crafted medical tubing solutions for some of the most well-known names in the medical, pharmaceutical, personal care, household and industrial, and food and beverage industries. Tekni-Plex is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania and operates manufacturing sites across eight countries worldwide to meet the needs of its global customers. For more information visit www.tekni-plex.com.
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