Though it may be small, medical tubing can create a large challenge for healthcare institutions around the world. If you were to think about a range of medical devices, it would be hard to identify too many that don't rely on some kind of tubing.
With that said, making sure that healthcare professionals and device manufacturers alike have the knowledge necessary to make a decision when it comes to selecting the right medical tubing is incredibly important.
The hallmarks of a high quality medical tubing manufacturer?
Good Manufacturing Practices
Good manufacturing practices (GMP) and current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) are two of the most important factors when it comes to manufacturing and testing products like medical tubing. Both guidelines ensure product quality for numerous applications. Even if tubing meets every specification, if it does not meet all GMP guidelines, it still won't be approved for use in medical applications.
The Right Experience
On top of following current good manufacturing processes, it's also important to choose a manufacturer that has experience in the industry. The ability to anticipate your needs, your challenges, and your applications is essential. With a medical grade and large diameter tubing manufacturer that has experience, many of the questions and concerns you have are already taken into consideration.
The Right Materials
When it comes to the materials you use for tubing, you have quite a few choices. From commonly used materials to custom compounds, the ability to work with a wide range of materials is essential when it comes to manufacturing medical tubes. Both figuratively and literally, flexibility is key - and the ability to manufacture in a number of materials is at the heart of flexibility.
Common materials include HDPE, HIPS, LDPE, polycarbonate, polyethylene, PVC, nylon,TPE's, and TPU's. But which one is best for your needs? This is where working with an experienced manufacturer comes in. Material choice can make a major difference in terms of reliability and performance for different applications.
For instance, many medical applications that deal with fluid handling require opaque tubing to both ensure proper fluid movement and to check for air bubbles. On top of this, material choice is also important to ensure biocompatibility. If a material is chemically incompatible with the application at hand, serious problems can arise. Again, this is where working with an experienced medical tubing manufacturer can make a major difference in terms of success in the field, cost savings, and more.
