Junkosha has introduced a new catheter liner category, called Wrapped Liner, at MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis. The company describes the category as a new approach to liner construction that draws on its experience in fluoropolymer technologies.
According to Junkosha, the platform applies its proprietary PTFE tape engineering and wrapping technology. It is intended as an alternative for catheter liners that combines high tensile strength, thin-wall construction and flexibility.
Film wrapping instead of tube extrusion
The manufacturing process wraps PTFE film around a mandrel to build the liner wall, rather than extruding a complete tube. By engineering the tape’s properties, Junkosha says it can design a liner platform to achieve a thin, uniform wall thickness with high strength.
That combination is meant to give catheter designers and manufacturers more freedom. They could choose finer braid or coil wire, or use the space saved by a thinner liner elsewhere in the catheter construction, according to the company.
Steve Maxson, founder of Maxson InSight Services, said catheter engineers often describe profile as king, but low-profile design involves more than reducing wall thickness. He said a catheter still must resist kinking and ovalization while retaining the flexibility required by its application. He noted that extruded and film-cast liners are already available with very thin walls, and said the opportunity lies in how thin-wall construction and strength work together to change design approaches.
Reinforcement and design flexibility
Junkosha frames that balance of thin, strong and more uniform properties as a central element in new catheter development. It could allow greater flexibility in how reinforcement is configured, the company says. The Wrapped Liner category is intended as a scalable platform supporting a portfolio of solutions for evolving catheter requirements.
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 cut-to-length tubing. As the industry heads into 2027, he said there is a need for a new liner category that is manufactured differently and offers distinct benefits for small-format catheter OEMs. Through the approach, Junkosha says it aims to extend catheter design possibilities and support next-generation devices intended to enhance flexibility and broaden the range of anatomies that can be accessed and treated.
The announcement positions Wrapped Liner as a platform rather than a single product. Junkosha did not disclose specific wall-thickness figures, test data, customer agreements or a commercial launch schedule in the announcement. The stated benefits therefore remain company claims about the intended design and manufacturing approach, rather than independently verified clinical or operational outcomes.