FAQs
Q: When is etching of a catheter required?
A: All catheters at some point are taken from a simple extruded tube and made into a complete assembly. These final assemblies can contain any number of secondary operations and molded attachments that meant to be bonded/sealed to the surface of the catheter, whether thermally or chemically. Fluoropolymers are notorious known for their lack of bondability due to internal covalent carbon-fluorine bonds that make up the material structure. In order to create adhesion, some of these bonds need to be removed. This process is typically done with a chemical etchant that removes a very thin layer of the material, altering the atomic structure at the surface, and making the material more susceptible to adhesion. Etching is also useful for areas that require printing or marking on surfaces that would be otherwise resistant to adhesion.
