Junkosha used MD&M Midwest in Minneapolis to introduce a new catheter liner category called Wrapped Liner, describing it as a construction approach based on its fluoropolymer and PTFE tape processing expertise rather than a single incremental product.
The company said the category draws on decades of experience in sophisticated fluoropolymer technologies. Its manufacturing approach wraps a PTFE film around a mandrel to build the liner wall, rather than extruding a complete tube. Junkosha says the process is designed to combine high tensile strength, thin wall construction and flexibility.
PTFE tape engineering
Junkosha has applied proprietary PTFE tape engineering and wrapping technology to create an alternative liner platform. By engineering the properties of the tape, the company aims to achieve a thin, uniform wall thickness with exceptional strength, according to its announcement.
For catheter designers, the significance extends beyond a lower profile. Junkosha says the platform could give manufacturers greater freedom to select finer braid or coil wire or to reallocate space elsewhere in the catheter construction.
Design balance
Steve Maxson, founder of Maxson InSight Services, said catheter engineers often describe profile as king, but low-profile design involves more than reducing wall thickness. A catheter still must resist kinking and ovalization while retaining the flexibility its application requires, he said.
Maxson noted that extruded and film-cast liners are already available in very thin walls. In his view, the real opportunity lies in how thin-wall construction and strength work together to change how engineers approach catheter design.
Junkosha frames that balance of thinness, strength and more uniform properties as a linchpin for new catheter development, potentially creating greater flexibility in how reinforcement is configured.
Positioning for small-format OEMs
Kevin LaDow, chief sales officer of Junkosha USA Inc., said current catheter liners are either dip-coated PTFE built up on a mandrel or extruded PTFE supplied as tubing cut to length. He said the industry is heading into 2027 with a need for a new liner category that is manufactured differently and offers unique benefits for small-format catheter OEMs.
Junkosha positions Wrapped Liner as a scalable platform intended to support a growing portfolio of solutions tailored to evolving catheter requirements. The company says the approach extends design possibilities for next-generation devices meant to enhance flexibility and broaden the range of anatomies that can be accessed and treated.
The category is not presented as a replacement for every liner application. Junkosha is positioning it as an alternative platform for catheter engineers working within the constraints of small-format devices, where wall thickness, reinforcement and flexibility must be balanced.
The announcement did not include specific liner dimensions, commercial availability timelines or customer validation results. Claims about strength, wall uniformity and design freedom describe the platform’s intended performance rather than independently verified outcomes.