Microlayer Catheter Shafts: From Process Advantage to Structural Performance

In catheter shaft design, manufacturing methodology directly defines device performance. Traditional telescopic reflow processes have long been used to assemble multi-layer shafts, but they introduce limitations in bonding quality, design flexibility, tolerances, and transition control. Microlayer technology fundamentally changes this paradigm by enabling a continuous, deposition-based approach that integrates structure, flexibility, and precision into a single process.

Process Comparison: Microlayer vs. Telescopic Reflow

At the process level, the differences between Microlayer catheter shafts and telescopic reflow assemblies are substantial.

With Microlayer technology, liner bonding, variable durometers, and variable wall thicknesses are achieved directly through a controlled polymer deposition process. This eliminates the need for heat-shrink steps, reflow cycles, and telescopic assembly of multiple extrusions—each of which introduces variability and mechanical discontinuities.

Transition lengths between durometers can be precisely defined according to customer requirements, ranging from sharp transitions to smooth gradients over lengths of up to 20 mm. In contrast, telescopic processes rely on butt joints, which create abrupt stiffness changes and localized stress points.

Dimensional performance further highlights the advantage. Microlayer shafts can achieve wall thicknesses as low as 0.001 inches with tolerances of ±0.0002 inches, enabling superior diameter-to-wall thickness ratios. Telescopic processes typically require thicker walls and looser tolerances, particularly when working with soft materials.

Translating Process Advantages into Shaft Architecture

The structural implications of these process advantages are clearly visible at the shaft architecture level.

In a Microlayer-based catheter shaft, the jacket, braid, and liner are integrated through a continuous deposition process. The result is a unified structure with smooth transitions, consistent bonding, and no discrete joint interfaces. This architecture enhances flexibility, torque response, and long-term mechanical reliability.

By comparison, telescopic assemblies such as those incorporating laser-cut hypotubes—require discrete assembly steps. Each transition between components introduces a mechanical interface that can affect flexibility, stress distribution, and durability. While effective for certain applications, this approach inherently limits design continuity and precision.

Microlayer technology enables engineers to fine-tune shaft performance along its entire length, balancing softness, strength, and control without compromising dimensional accuracy or manufacturability.

Why It Matters for Next-Generation Devices

For minimally invasive devices, performance is defined by details: how smoothly a shaft transitions between stiffness zones, how thin the wall can be without sacrificing strength, and how consistently those characteristics can be reproduced at scale.

By combining process-level control with structural integration, Microlayer catheter shafts offer a scalable solution for advanced device designs—reducing complexity while expanding design freedom.

Microlayer technology is more than an alternative manufacturing method. It is a platform that connects process capability with device architecture, enabling catheter shafts that are thinner, more flexible, more precise, and more reliable than those produced using traditional telescopic reflow techniques.