Junkosha introduced a new catheter liner category, the Wrapped Liner, at MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis, presenting it as a different approach to liner construction rather than a variation on existing tubing. The company says the platform builds on decades of work in fluoropolymer technologies.
Junkosha says it has applied its proprietary PTFE tape engineering and wrapping technology to offer an alternative liner platform that combines high tensile strength, thin wall construction and flexibility.
Film wrapped around a mandrel
In the process Junkosha describes, PTFE film is wrapped around a mandrel to build up the liner wall instead of extruding a complete tube. By engineering the properties of the tape, the company says it can target a thin, uniform wall thickness together with high strength.
The company presents that combination as a design lever rather than an end in itself. According to Junkosha, a thinner, stronger and more uniform wall gives catheter designers and manufacturers room to select finer braid or coil wire, or to reallocate space elsewhere in the catheter construction.
Thin wall and kink resistance
Steve Maxson, founder of Maxson InSight Services, said catheter engineers often remark that “profile is king,” but a low-profile design involves more than reducing wall thickness. He said a catheter still has to resist kinking and ovalization while keeping the flexibility its application needs. With extruded and film-cast liners already available in very thin walls, he argued the real opportunity lies in how thin-wall construction and strength work together to change how engineers approach catheter design.
Junkosha makes a related point about reinforcement, describing the balance of thin, strong and more uniform properties as the linchpin for new catheter development, because it may give engineers greater flexibility in how reinforcement is configured. The company’s argument is that the balance, rather than wall thickness alone, is where the platform differs.
Where it sits against existing liners
Kevin LaDow, chief sales officer of Junkosha USA Inc., described current catheter liners as either dip-coated PTFE built up on a mandrel or extruded PTFE supplied as tubing cut to length. He said that heading into 2027 there is a need for a liner category that is not only manufactured differently but also brings distinct benefits for small-format catheter OEMs. Through the approach, he said, Junkosha is extending the possibilities of catheter design to support next-generation devices intended to enhance flexibility and broaden the range of anatomies that may be accessed and treated.
Junkosha describes the Wrapped Liner category as a scalable platform intended to support a growing portfolio of solutions tailored to evolving catheter requirements. The announcement did not include wall-thickness figures, availability timing or pricing.