Tekni-Plex has installed an additional silicone tubing extrusion line at its Suzhou, China manufacturing facility. The investment is intended to increase capacity and enable the addition of smaller sizes.
This newly expanded range of single-lumen silicone tubing from Natvar is intended to better serve a range of medical pump applications, including peristaltic and patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps. The new extrusions line has an inside diameter of 0.2-25 mm and a wall thicknesses ranging from 0.10-3.0 mm.
Why Silicone?
The benefit of silicone is that it can withstand a wide range of temperatures and chemicals while maintaining strength and flexibility. Additionally, it does not support microbiological growth, making it suited for medical and pharmaceutical pump applications.
For peristaltic pumps, tubing size and tolerance is key. 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. The updated silicone tubing at Tekni-Plex has size difference tolerances of +/- 0.03 mm.
“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.
The Suzhou facility opened in 2017, backed by a US$15 million investment to support the needs of the Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical and medical device markets, as well as to provide a secondary supply source for other regions.
