Extrusion expertise used to eliminate critical issues for catheter guidewire part

Problem

A manufacturer of guidewire coils for catheter applications was having difficulty with a PVC part that was being used as a “tip protector.” Dimensional accuracy is critical for the small piece to protect the guidewires that protrude from the end of the tube. The challenge with the piece is that each end has to be cut at a severe angle in order to facilitate sliding into the tube on one side and keeping the guide wires in place on the other. Also, extremely critical, is the “no flash” requirement after the part is cut.

Learn how Tekni-Plex provided the following benefits:

• Flash was eliminated meeting the critical quality requirements
• Scrap rate was reduced from 25 to 35% to virtually nothing
• Additional significant savings by reducing labor costs due to the elimination of rework
• Guidewire company was able to benefit from more than five decades of extrusion experience