Extruded tubes and profiles for industrial applications have been produced in Waldachtal for more than fifty years - this part of the range of services was transferred to medical technology in 2017 and clean room extrusion for medical applications was made available. This is where customer-specific hose systems such as multi-lumen or multilayer hoses are developed and produced. Fabric-reinforced hoses in particular are increasingly in demand from our customers. The customer-specific, multi-stage manufacturing process is carried out under controlled clean room conditions according to DIN EN ISO 14644 Class 8. Classic applications in the field of medical technology are endoscopy, cardiac catheters or ventilation tubes.

Typical requirements for fabric-reinforced hoses in medical applications

In order to be able to meet the high requirements, customer-specific solutions are developed and realized together. For a successful and high-quality product, the following characteristics are of particular relevance:

• Buckling stability and torsional stiffness – even with extremely small product dimensions
• Compressive strength
• Optimized sliding properties of the inner and outer layers
• Holding force of the different layers
• Adjustable linear expansion
• Flexibility
• X-ray permeability
• Surface structure and edges

Multilayer construction

Due to the multi-layer structure of the fabric-reinforced hoses, the advantageous properties of individual layers, e.g. in terms of flexibility, X-ray permeability, sliding friction and compressive strength, can be matched to each other and intelligently combined in the multi-stage production process. The overall system can thus be optimally adapted to the application-specific requirements. Biocompatible plastics and reinforcing fabrics are available to realize the target properties:

It's the mixture that counts

For a good product, the right combination of the individual influencing factors is important. Thus, the arbitrary change of a parameter can result in numerous interactions. In order to be able to handle this complexity, we have built up extensive know-how in this area at Röchling and use, among other things, specially created material compounds. We support our customers from the very beginning in the selection of these base materials and the appropriate production technologies. An initial orientation is provided by a selection matrix, in which a large number of combination options are available. In personal consultations, our teams of experts will then work with you to develop an optimum overall solution with regard to the intended application.

For further information:

Patrick Straub: PStraub(at)roechling.com | +49 7486 181-324