Why are medical professionals all talking about FEP heat‑shrink tube?
A high-performance heat-shrink material that delivers high clarity, low friction, and superior stability.
You may not have noticed, but many familiar devices — including balloon catheters, microcatheters, balloon sheaths, and coated tube used in interventional procedures — all rely on one critical material for protection, forming, and liner support: FEP heat-shrink tube.
What makes this seemingly ordinary transparent heat-shrink material so widely used in medical manufacturing? Let’s break it down.
What is FEP Heat-Shrink tube?
FEP, short for Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene, is a close relative of PTFE. It combines the excellent chemical stability of PTFE with improved melt-processability, making it one of the most well-balanced materials for medical heat-shrink applications.
When formed into heat-shrink tube, FEP shrinks from its pre-expanded state to its original diameter upon heating, providing three core functions: encapsulation, shaping, and protection. It is widely used in catheter bonding, coating protection, welding assistance, and more.
Three Core Advantages of FEP Heat-Shrink tube
l High Clarity
FEP offers crystal-clear visibility for inner catheter alignment and multi-layer assembly, which is critical in the production of microcatheters and dual-layer tube.
l Low Friction & Low Adhesion
With a coefficient of friction as low as 0.1–0.2 — second only to PTFE — it is ideal for reducing insertion forces and preventing interlayer adhesion in balloon catheters and protective layers.
l Thermal Stability & Controlled Shrinkage
FEP heat-shrink tube is available with shrink ratios of 1.3:1, 1.6:1, and 2:1, with a typical shrink temperature of 205–240°C. It is compatible with PEBAX, PA, and other thermoplastics without causing deformation or bubbling.
Applications: How We Use FEP Heat-Shrink tube
a) Guidewire Sheaths (Interventional & Access)
b) Medical Device Coating
c) Electrical Insulation
d) Component Encapsulation
e) Waterproof Sealing
f) Abrasion & Corrosion Protection
g) Reflow Soldering
h) Component Packaging
Our Capabilities
As a professional CMO for catheter manufacturing, we have implemented FEP heat-shrink tube in numerous product designs and offer the following capabilities:
FEP Heat-Shrink tube 1.3:1 – Metric Sizes (mm)
| Size | Min ID Before Shrink (mm) | Max ID After Shrink (mm) | Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Min |
Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Nominal |
Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 0.79 | 0.69 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 22 | 0.91 | 0.81 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 1.14 | 0.99 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 18 | 1.52 | 1.25 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 16 | 1.91 | 1.55 | 0.18 | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| 14 | 2.34 | 1.83 | 0.18 | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| 12 | 2.92 | 2.26 | 0.18 | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| 10 | 3.58 | 2.90 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.33 |
| 9 | 4.01 | 3.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.33 |
| 8 | 4.57 | 3.63 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.33 |
| 7 | 5.00 | 4.01 | 0.23 | 0.28 | 0.38 |
| 6 | 5.72 | 4.57 | 0.23 | 0.28 | 0.38 |
| 5 | 6.30 | 5.03 | 0.18 | 0.28 | 0.38 |
| 4 | 7.37 | 5.74 | 0.18 | 0.28 | 0.38 |
| 3 | 7.87 | 6.32 | 0.18 | 0.28 | 0.38 |
| 2 | 9.27 | 7.11 | 0.20 | 0.30 | 0.41 |
| 1 | 10.16 | 7.90 | 0.20 | 0.30 | 0.41 |
| 3/8 | 12.7 | 9.73 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.48 |
| 7/16 | 14.73 | 11.38 | 0.41 | 0.51 | 0.61 |
| 1/2 | 16.92 | 12.95 | 0.41 | 0.51 | 0.61 |
| Size | Min ID Before Shrink (mm) | Max ID After Shrink (mm) | Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Min |
Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Nominal |
Wall Thickness After Shrink (mm) Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/32 | 2.36 | 1.47 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
| 1/8 | 3.18 | 1.99 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| 3/16 | 4.78 | 2.99 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| 1/4 | 6.35 | 3.97 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.30 |
| 3/8 | 9.53 | 5.96 | 0.21 | 0.31 | 0.41 |
| 1/2 | 12.70 | 7.94 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.48 |
FEP heat-shrink tube is more than just a covering — it is a hidden expert for catheter forming, protection, and structural control. For samples, technical support, or custom process solutions, please contact the ECO team. We have extensive experience in FEP heat-shrink applications.
We will continue to focus on technological innovation and manufacturing process optimization to provide customers with customized, high-performance catheter solutions.
