Junkosha used MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis to introduce what it calls a new category of catheter liner: the Wrapped Liner. The company describes the category as a different approach to liner construction, drawing on its long experience with fluoropolymer technologies.
The platform applies Junkosha's proprietary PTFE tape engineering and wrapping technology, which the company says yields a liner combining high tensile strength, thin wall construction and flexibility.
Wrapping film instead of extruding a tube
In the manufacturing process, PTFE film is wrapped around a mandrel to build up the liner wall, rather than extruding a complete tube. By engineering the properties of the tape, Junkosha says the platform can be designed to achieve a thin, uniform wall thickness together with high strength. The stated aim is to give catheter designers and manufacturers more freedom to select finer braid or coil wire, or to reallocate space elsewhere in the catheter construction.
Steve Maxson, founder of Maxson InSight Services, said catheter engineers often describe profile as king, but that a low-profile design involves more than reducing wall thickness. In his view, a catheter still has to resist kinking and ovalization while retaining the flexibility its application requires; with extruded and film-cast liners already available in very thin walls, the opportunity lies in how thin-wall construction and strength work together to change how engineers approach design.
Junkosha frames that balance of thin, strong and more uniform properties as the linchpin of new catheter development, with the potential to create greater flexibility in how reinforcement is configured. The Wrapped Liner category is positioned as a scalable platform intended to support a growing portfolio of solutions for evolving catheter requirements.
Company points to dip-coated and extruded incumbents
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 heading into 2027 there is a need for a liner category that is not only manufactured differently but also offers distinct benefits for small-format catheter OEMs. Through this approach, he said, the company is extending the possibilities of catheter design to support next-generation devices intended to enhance flexibility and broaden the range of anatomies that can be accessed and treated.