Projects

Structural Heart

Steerable Delivery Catheter

Due to strict planarity for precise placement of an implant, the customer required an innovative catheter design solution.

We developed a unique and highly specialized PTFE liner solution to aid the manufacture of the steerable catheter.

A custom braided catheter shaft integrates coils and laser-cut hypotubes to provide excellent steerability, flexibility, and torque response.

Challenge:

Every catheter engineer faces challenges with planarity of the final catheter. Keeping the articulated section of the catheter in-plane is critical for the physician to accurately and consistently use the device. Many variables during the manufacturing process can negatively affect the planarity.

Solution:

We collaborated with our partners at Zeus to develop a unique and highly customized PTFE liner solution to aid the manufacture of the steerable catheter. This highly customized liner reduced manufacturing variation and delivered more consistent finished devices.

Outcome:

We supported the customer’s commercial product launch while minimizing variation in a robust manufacturing process. The capability to design and develop a custom liner for large-scale manufacturing was key to the program’s success.

“Their drive to understand our design needs and develop flexible manufacturing solutions is key to our NPI success.”

R&D Program Director OEM – Structural Heart
STRUCTURAL HEART

TAVR Delivery Catheter

As the structural heart market innovates, design guidelines continue to become more challenging. Larger diameter catheters that track around tighter bends have created a need for unmatched weld strength in the pull ring assemblies that articulate the device.

This customer came to us with requirements for a minimal profile pull ring assembly that met very high weld strength with a CpK greater than 1.33.

Challenge:

Meeting the customer’s criteria for weld strength with a CpK greater than 1.33 required our team to review everything from material selection to pull ring design to process optimization. Nothing about this project was ordinary.

Solution:

Our laser welding expertise and out-of-the-box thinking allowed us to design and manufacture a unique pull wire system that met the customer’s strict requirements.

Outcome:

With our advanced laser welding capabilities, the customer was able to develop a device that offers physicians unparalleled performance for the latest TAVR innovations.

“We came to them with a big ask, and they delivered. The expertise and creativity that they brought to this project was outstanding.”

R&D Manager OEM – Structural Heart

Tell us about your project

Our senior engineers are ready to discuss your catheter design and manufacturing project. Contact us today to start the conversation.

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