LCPs – liquid crystal polymers – are thermoplastic resins that exhibit many unique and desirable properties, including exceptional mechanical strength, heat tolerance for autoclaving, and chemical inertness. Thus, these materials have found favor in many high-performance applications, from automotive, electronic, and medical devices, to food containers.
These aromatic polyester plastics are often difficult to process and can be cost-prohibitive to maximize end-user benefit. At Zeus, we seized this challenge and have perfected a process to produce LCP as a monofilament fiber with all of the significant properties of LCPs. Our LCP monofilament fiber 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.
With recent renewed interest in the development of MRI-compatible catheters, our LCP monofilament is an ideally suited material for catheter braiding reinforcement used as a replacement for metal wire braiding, such as stainless steel. Our LCP allows the catheter to retain excellent torquability, pushability, and distal end deflectability. Since LCP is non-metallic, catheters made using this material meet MRI-compatibility requirements. As an added benefit, an MRI-compatible catheter enables catheterization procedures to be performed without ionizing radiation from X-rays.
For the catheter manufacturing process, our LCP monofilament is easily braided with industry-standard equipment and resists fraying (“bird nesting”) for maximum production efficiency. Thus, LCP fiber easily integrates into your current braiding process with minimal changes. Our LCP monofilament also resists kinking and can be wound onto Steeger and Wardwell bobbins and DIN 160 spools.
Contact our team or call toll-free in the US 1-800-526-3842 or +1-803-268-9500 internationally today to see how we can develop a precision solution to give you a competitive advantage or to request prototyping samples.
Catheter Braiding – LCP monofilament provides superior performance as catheter reinforcement braiding. LCP fiber is particularly preferable for procedures such as MRI, which preclude the use of metals. Using LCP monofilament braiding results in a catheter with excellent torquability, pushability, and deflectability at the distal end.
LCP Monofilament Fiber – Providing a means to eliminate metal braiding in catheter shafts, medical devices made with our LCP fiber reinforcement are MRI-compatible. Zeus LCP monofilament is also a superior replacement for glass fiber reinforcement. This monofilament can be supplied in customizable sizes and profiles.
High Tensile Strength – LCP monofilament’s tensile strength is superior to most other monofilament materials used in catheter construction today and even rivals stainless steel.
Minimal Fraying – Our LCP monofilament displays little to no fraying, or “bird nesting,” when properly integrated into braiding machines. Thus, LCP is much easier to work with compared to almost all other monofilaments and multifilament yarns.
MRI-Compatibility – Replacing metals such as nitinol, stainless steel, or tungsten with non-metal material, our LCP reinforcement allows these catheters to be used in MRI and similar procedures.
Sterilizable – Because of its wide working temperature range, Zeus LCP monofilament is autoclavable and is available in Class VI approved resins.
Superior to Glass-Filled Fibers – LCP performs better than glass-filled materials for deflectable catheters, and the catheter retains exceptional deflectability at the distal end.
Tight Tolerances – We provide LCP fiber with very tight tolerances. We customize your size tolerance based on your particular specifications.
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