Other – Medical
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Zeus serves many medical markets aside from the ones presented in our primary site menu. We develop precise extruded solutions for new medical devices with innovators from firms of all sizes and from all areas of the globe. Our team will work with you to develop the best solution for your medical design needs to help you bring advanced care to patients.
Don’t see your market listed? We are constantly aligning with engineers, researchers, and clinicians to address and provide solutions to unmet medical market and specialty needs. For smaller or more specific fields such as otolaryngology, orthopedics, brachytherapy, diabetes, to reproductive health, and others, Zeus medical device componentry is entrenched there, too.
Whether your medical application needs extruded tubing, heat shrinks, ribbons, or biomaterials products, we can help. We manufacture nearly all of the components necessary for catheter construction such as mandrels, liners, jacketing, and fusing sleeves. In addition, our LCP catheter braiding allows these catheters to be used under MRI. We have a broad range of standard component sizes plus extensive customization options to ensure proper anatomical access and navigation. Our line of biomaterial products such as Absorv™ tubing (bioabsorbable endovascular scaffolding) and Bioweb™ Composites (stent encapsulation) facilitate novel device design. Many of our products are made from biocompatible resins which are USP Class VI approved.
Our Team is Your Team
For new devices, applications, or materials, we will work with you to overcome technical and processing problems to assist in advancing your prototype towards commercialization. We have worked contract manufacturers for decades to streamline their production offerings for optimum supply chain management and efficient production solutions. Zeus is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485 certified with significant manufacturing capacity across multiple facility sites.
Regardless of your medical market or specialty, Zeus can help you raise your level of deliverable care. To learn more about the products or services described here and how we serve our medical markets, contact us today or call toll-free in the US 1-800-526-3842; internationally, please call +1-803-268-9500.
- APPLICATIONS
Brachytherapy – This is a minimally invasive localized treatment for various cancers using radioactive seeds. The seeds are contained within delivery catheters which surround the tumor with radiation to eradicate cancer cells. Tight tolerance fluoropolymer tubing serves as a lubricious conduit to securely deliver the seeds to the treatment site.
Diabetes Treatment – Zeus precision extruded products are used as catheter componentry to enable vascular access for a variety of diabetic treatments including insulin pumps, dialysis, and bladder drainage.
Orthopedics – Extruded tubing is often used as sheathing for equipment in orthopedic procedures. The end of the tube is often tapered to securely house an implant or needle.
Otolaryngology (ENT) – Balloon sinuplasty procedures reduce pressure for patients suffering from chronic sinusitis. Our Absorv™ bioabsorbable monofilament is used as a woven scaffold to prop up and open clogged nasal passages. This product can be coated with anti-inflammatory medications to accelerate patient recovery and customized with controlled degradation rates. Extruded components form the delivery catheter for the scaffold, while PTFE or FEP heat shrinks provide a lubricious covering for guidewires to ensure smooth delivery through the nasal cavity. For ear tube applications, we can flare or flange our tubing options to make ideal introducer and cutting sheaths for deploying cochlear implants.
Reproductive Health – Our extruded products are present in many devices used in OB/GYN and urological devices including balloon, urinary, and dilation catheters.
- PRODUCTS
Absorv™ – This and our other bioabsorbable polymer products safely exist in the body for controlled lengths of time before being absorbed without causing harm or adverse interactions. Zeus partners with our customers to develop and deliver these advanced polymers to meet precise degradation rates and specifications. We are able to extrude these biomaterials into high precision tubular geometries and perform full polymer characterization to meet regulatory requirements. These FDA-approved products are available in multiple extrusion forms.
Aeos™ ePTFE – These advanced products from Zeus feature microscopic pores in the structure of the material by expanding PTFE under exacting conditions. The resulting porous products are imparted with unique physical properties that make them ideal for use in medical devices such as endovascular stent grafts, suture-like devices, cosmetic implants, dental and glass ionomer uses; structural heart, and tissue engineering. Aeos™ ePTFE has many of the same exceptional traits of PTFE but differs because it provides unique properties for applications requiring porosity.
Bioweb™ – These electrospun microporous products can be made into sheets or membranes and used for a variety of applications such as stent coverings, scaffolds, and even specialized filtration devices. Similar to expanded PTFE, Bioweb™ has a lower basis weight but has comparable chemical and temperature resistance. Zeus processing allows us to create encapsulation technology, spin membrane/sheet, and develop 3-D structures for coating substrates of varying shapes and sizes.
Catheter Braiding – When metals cannot be used in certain catherization procedures, Zeus offers drawn fibers available in PEEK and other polymers or LCP monofilament as non-metallic and flexible alternatives to stainless steel braiding. These materials are MRI-compatible and available in flat and rounded profiles.
Catheter Liners – Typically made of etched PTFE or our Aeos™ ePTFE, these inner liners provide the utmost in lubricity, electrical performance, chemical resistance, and are UV sterilizable. Because of its extremely low coefficient of friction, PTFE liners allow the easiest access through the tortuous pathways of the body.
Fusing Sleeves – Heat shrinkable fluoropolymer tubing provides an excellent way to add a protective and tight jacket covering for joined catheter components or simply as an outer covering for the catheter itself. We offer heat shrink tubing in a range of polymer resins that can withstand high temperatures and contribute extremely high lubricity. This heat shrink is available in our FluoroPEELZ™ peelable heat shrink and in traditional FEP.
Jacketing Materials – Catheter jackets provide additional structural support when added as layers during catheter construction and wall build-up. Zeus offers nylon and Pebax® polymer jacketing to meet these catheter manufacturing needs. Removable jackets (such as Zeus FluoroPEELZ™ peelable heat shrink) are also available that can be used to reflow the underlying polymer coating or jacketing material which covers the catheter braiding.
Multi-lumen Catheter Tubing – This tubing creates multiple passages through which multiple treatments or instruments can to directed towards the treatment site. These tubings are made with tight tolerances, unsurpassed capabilities, and superior quality standards. We can provide multi-lumen tubing with numerous specially customized passages in PFA, FEP, and our expanded PTFE (Aeos™ ePTFE).
Processing / Support Mandrels – A building block for catheter construction, this polymer core provides the central arbor around which the catheter is made and supports the desired ID. After construction, the mandrel is removed to produce the final ID. Our fluoropolymer catheter components are highly lubricious and are ideal for use as mandrels with easy removal; these are available in PEEK and PTFE.
PTFE Sub-Lite-Wall™ – This novel material is used for the lining of catheter IDs and allows easier access to difficult-to-reach body spaces. This material may be supplied etched on the outside diameter (OD) to allow better bondability with other materials. PTFE Sub-Lite-Wall™ Heat Shrink improves the lubricity of wire guides over long lengths for use in endoscopy applications.
- MATERIALS
Biomaterials – The emergence of biomaterials, substances or materials that can safely interact with the body, has become a driving force in medical innovation. Bioabsorbables are especially developed for medical applications to provide an alternative to traditional polymers and metal components. Recognizing this need, Zeus has expanded our capabilities in multiple areas to develop the most advanced biomaterials in the industry.
Absorv™ – This and our other bioabsorbable polymer products safely exist in the body for controlled lengths of time before being absorbed without causing harm or adverse interactions. Zeus partners with our customers to develop and deliver these advanced polymers to meet precise degradation rates and specifications. We are able to extrude these biomaterials into high precision tubular geometries and perform full polymer characterization to meet regulatory requirements. These FDA-approved products are available in multiple extrusion forms.
Aeos™ ePTFE – These advanced products from Zeus feature microscopic pores in the structure of the material by expanding PTFE under exacting conditions. The resulting porous products are imparted with unique physical properties that make them ideal for use in medical devices such as endovascular stent grafts, suture-like devices, cosmetic implants, dental and glass ionomer uses; structural heart, and tissue engineering. Aeos™ ePTFE has many of the same exceptional traits of PTFE but differs because it provides unique properties for applications requiring porosity.
Bioweb™ Electrospun Nonwovens – Zeus Bioweb™ is a technology produced through electrospinning PTFE into polymeric fibers with extremely small thicknesses ranging from nano- to micro-scale. Together, these electrospun fibers form microporous materials with a broad range of properties. Similar to expanded PTFE, Bioweb™ has a lower basis weight but has comparable chemical and temperature resistance. Bioweb™ is used in medical and industrial applications for biological interactions or for specialty filtration. Our processing allows us to create encapsulation technology, spin membrane/sheet, and develop 3-D structures for coating substrates of varying shapes and sizes.
ETFE – A copolymer of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene, ETFE tubing affords excellent resistance to impact, abrasion, and stress cracking. ETFE possesses superior toughness, stiffness, and durability all while being chemically inert. The material can be extruded in multiple forms including flexible convoluted tubing. ETFE can operate in temperatures ranging from -238 °F (-150 °C) to 298 °F (148 °C), has low water absorption, and performs well with ETO, autoclave, and gamma sterilizations.
FEP – Fluorinated ethylene propylene, or FEP, is a melt-processable fluoropolymer which allows for long, continuous lengths and has several distinct advantages over PTFE. Applications where FEP tubing is preferred require more optical clarity and flexibility. In heat shrinkable form, FEP has a lower recovery temperature than PTFE, and FEP can be used to reflow softer underlying materials such as Pebax® for catheter jackets. This chemically inert material has low gas permeability, possesses an excellent UV transmission rating and dielectric strength; and is gamma, ETO, e-beam, and autoclave sterilizable. FEP can operate in sustained temperatures from -328 °F (-200 °C) to 399 °F (204°C).
FluoroPEELZ™ Peelable Fusing Sleeves – This innovative material simplifies catheter construction through this material’s ability to be easily peeled away from the outer shaft after reflow. This breakthrough product increases yields, improves worker safety, and reduces scrap. End users are finding that this replacement for FEP and polyolefin heat shrinks reduces their downstream processing while accelerating production.
LCP – Liquid crystal polymer, or LCP, is a thermoplastic resin which exhibits unique properties. This material has a host of desirable traits including exceptional mechanical strength, heat tolerance for autoclaving, and chemical inertness. Through Zeus’ innovative proprietary processing, we have developed an LCP monofilament fiber for use a catheter braiding. This material possesses excellent tensile strength and surpasses many similar monofilaments such as nylon, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and even polyether ether ketone (PEEK) in terms of stiffness. Most importantly, however, LCP monofilament used as catheter braiding results in a device that is fully compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures.
Nylon – Aside from Pebax®, Zeus extrudes nylon tubing (including multi-lumen) and can assist in the selection of the specific grade of nylon best suited for your catheter jacketing application. Our engineered nylon is available in a wide range of grades suited for many custom applications including our Sub-Lite-Wall®, Zytel® (Nylon 6/6; Zytel® 42A and ST801), Rilsan® (Nylon 11; Rilsan® B), Grilamid® (Nylon 12; Grilamid® L25, Rilsan® A, Vestamid® L2140, Grilamid® TR55 and TR55LX), Vestamid®, and others.
Pebax® – This material (also known as PEBA, or polyether block amide) is used as a jacketing material for catheters providing structural support and strength while also allowing catheters to remain flexible. Pebax® is a versatile polymer whose properties can be easily altered by varying its monomeric ratios and block types thus imparting a wide range of mechanical properties such as flexibility. This material possesses high elastic memory and is stronger than nylon 11. Pebax® is available in Shore D hardness ranges from 35 to 72.
PEEK – Polyether ether ketone, or PEEK, is a high performance fluoropolymer with excellent heat endurance and one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any thermoplastic. PEEK products are used in a variety of medical applications due to their columnar stiffness and torsional strength in very thin walls. PEEK can be sourced with IDs as small as 0.002″ (0.051 mm) and walls as thin as 0.0015″ (0.0381 mm) nominal. PEEK Drawn Fiber is an alternative option for braiding in catheters where metal may not be preferable (such as MRI, etc.). PEEK can likewise be used as an alternative to other materials such as glass. PEEK tubing is lightweight and able to withstand operating temperatures of 500 ºF (260 ºC). PEEK tolerates high burst pressures and possesses exceptional torsion stability. PEEK is also thermoformable and resistant to gamma radiation, wear, and impact.
PEEKshrink™ – Another advanced product from Zeus, this shrink-to-fit plastic provides a layer of protection for critical components that is particularly beneficial in medical applications. The polymer’s inherent purity and lubricity make it a prime choice for catheter componentry extending the life of the covered parts.
PFA – Perfluoroalkoxy, or PFA, possesses excellent lubricity, clarity, flexibility, and chemical resistance making it highly versatile; it can be manufactured in a variety of extruded products including custom sizes, profiles, and multi-lumens. PFA is chemically resistant to all common solvents, possesses low gas permeability, and has ultra-low levels of ionic extractables. PFA retains its mechanical strength even at temperatures up to 500 °F (260 °C). PFA is flame resistant with a UL 94 rating of V-0; it can also tolerate ETO, e-beam, and autoclave sterilizations making it well-suited to medical applications.
PTFE – Polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, is highly lubricious and is the preferred material in many applications in the medical field. This material has the lowest coefficient of friction of any polymer and easily tolerates ETO and autoclave sterilizations. PTFE’s working temperature range is -328 °F (-200 °C) to 500 °F (260 °C) and can be extruded in precision tolerances. This diverse polymer is available in a variety of forms including special profiles, monofilament, and multi-lumen for passing of wire guides, irrigation, steering cables, and more.
PTFE Sub-Lite-Wall™ – This novel material is used for the lining of catheter IDs and allows easier access to difficult-to-reach body spaces. This material may be supplied etched on the outside diameter (OD) to allow better bondability with other materials. PTFE Sub-Lite-Wall™ Heat Shrink improves the lubricity of wire guides over long lengths for use in endoscopy applications.