Why Is Everyone in the Medical Industry Talking About FEP Heat Shrink Tubing?
Why Is Everyone in the Medical Industry Talking About FEP Heat Shrink Tubing?
A High-Transparency, Low-Friction, and Highly Stable Heat Shrink MaterialYou might not have noticed, but many familiar medical devices—balloon catheters, microcatheters, balloon protection sleeves, and even coated tubes used in interventional procedures—rely on one critical material: FEP Heat Shrink Tubing. So, why is this seemingly simple transparent heat shrink material stealing the spotlight in medical manufacturing? Let’s break it down.
What Is FEP Heat Shrink Tubing?
FEP, or Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene, is a close cousin to PTFE. It combines PTFE’s excellent chemical stability with superior meltability, making it one of the most versatile materials for medical heat shrink tubing. When processed into heat shrink tubing, FEP contracts from its pre-expanded state to its original diameter upon heating at specific temperatures. This enables it to perform encapsulation, shaping, and protection—all in one. It’s widely used in catheter lamination, coating protection, tube pre-forming, and welding assistance.
Three Core Advantages of FEP Heat Shrink Tubing
· High Transparency
Whether it’s aligning inner tubes or ensuring precise multilayer tube positioning, FEP heat shrink tubing offers crystal-clear visibility for “what you see is what you get” accuracy. This is especially crucial for manufacturing microcatheters and multilayer tubes where visual precision is key.
· Low Friction and Low Adhesion
With a surface friction coefficient as low as 0.1–0.2 (second only to PTFE), FEP is ideal for balloon catheters or protective layers where reduced pull resistance and minimal interlayer adhesion are essential.
· Thermal Stability and Controlled Shrinkage
FEP heat shrink tubing offers shrinkage ratios of 1.3:1, 1.6:1, and 2:1, with a typical shrinking temperature of 205–240°C. It’s compatible with materials like PEBAX and PA, while minimizing deformation or bubbling in inner structures.
Application Scenarios: How We Use FEP Heat Shrink Tubing
a) Guidewire sheath (interventional, access)
b) Surgical instrument coating
c) Insulation
d) Component encapsulation
e) Waterproofing
f) Abrasion/corrosion protection
g) Reflow soldering
h) Packaging
Our CapabilitiesAs a professional CMO factory for catheter manufacturing, we’ve integrated FEP heat shrink tubing into numerous product designs and offer the following support:
FEP Heat Shrink Tubing 1.3:1 – Metric Sizes (mm)
Size | Min. ID Before Shrink
| Recovered ID After Shrink | |||
ID≥ | Wall Thickness | ||||
Min | Nominal | 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 |
Size | Min. ID Before Shrink
| Recovered ID After Shrink | |||
ID≥ | Wall Thickness | ||||
Min | Nominal | Max | |||
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 |
FEP Heat Shrink Tubing 1.6:1 – Metric Sizes (mm)
Size | Min. ID Before Shrink
| Recovered ID After Shrink | |||
ID≥ | Wall Thickness | ||||
Min | Nominal | Max | |||
3/32 | 2.36 | 1.47 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.25 |
1/8 | 3.18 | 1.99 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.3 |
3/16 | 4.78 | 2.99 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.3 |
1/4 | 6.35 | 3.97 | 0.20 | 0.25 | 0.3 |
3/8 | 9.53 | 5.96 | 0.21 | 0.31 | 0.41 |
1/2 | 12.70 | 7.94 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.48 |
Why Choose FEP Heat Shrink Tubing?
FEP heat shrink tubing is more than just a wrapping solution—it’s the unsung hero behind catheter forming, protection, and structural control. Ready to elevate your medical device manufacturing? Contact our ECO Team for samples, technical support, or customized process solutions. With extensive experience in FEP heat shrink applications, we’re here to help you succeed.
Eco Polymer: Where Innovation Meets Excellence in Medical Device Manufacturing.
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As a leading Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO), we excel in custom medical catheters and membranes, from prototyping to mass production. Our focus: unparalleled R&D innovation and rigorous quality validation.