MEDICAL

Polygon’s Composite Medical SHAFTS

THIS IS THE MATERIAL YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

Polygon’s multi-use custom composite custom medical shafts combine naturally insulative properties with the resiliency to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures with confidence. We originally created Polygon Medical for laparoscopic prostate procedures in the 1980s. More than 75 million devices later, it’s a trusted choice among surgeons in almost every minimally invasive surgery niche.

Proven Applications

Ablation

Robotic Surgery

Laparoscopic Surgery

What is polygon medical tubing?

Polygon’s Medical Tubing is a customizable mixture of resin and fiberglass that’s wound, pultruded, or braided into a strong, thin form that’s designed to your exact specifications. If you’ve been searching for a material that takes the best of both worlds, this is it.

It’s not metal or carbon fiber, but it is incredibly strong.

  • Rigid medical cannulae go exactly where you need it
  • Inherent stiffness and strength to perform your procedure
  • Resilient material springs back to shape
  • Better strength-to-weight ratio than stainless steel

It’s not plastic, but it is inherently safe from dielectric shock.

  • 100% dielectric, requiring no extra insulation
  • Perfect for procedures guided by MRI or X-Ray
  • Thermally insulative, creating a safer patient experience and surgical precision for ablation procedures

Control the structure

Polygon application engineers have years of experience working with top OEMs to custom-design shafts to meet specific needs. Because we have multiple proven manufacturing techniques, we can customize medical shaft properties such as rigidity, strength, and flexibility. 

Diameters range from 1mm to 20mm, with walls as thin as 0.254mm.

Control the number of inner chambers

Multi-lumen shafts within one tube mean fewer incisions for the patient. That’s why we customize the inside of each medical tube, and make sure each chamber is isolated from the others.

Control the shape

Polygon’s medical shaft’s inner and outer shape is fully customizable and designed to fit perfectly into or onto your instrumentation, whether you’re building it or adding to it.

SPECIFICATIONS

Polygon’s Medical Shaft Material (PG-F-6100 & PG-F-6200) Typical Properties

Tensile Strength

100,000 psi / 690 MPa

Tensile Modules

6 x 10 6 psi / 41 GPa

Flexural Strength

120,000 psi / 827 MPa

Flexural Modulus

6 x 10 6 psi / 41 GPa

Dielectric Strength

400 V/mil

Water Content as produced

0.04%

Water Absorbed – 24 Hours

0.11%

Glass Transition

90°C

Color Loss – 20 A/C

Pass

Machinability

Excellent

Autoclave Sterilization?

Yes

POLYGON MEDICAL SHAFT FAQs

What is medical tubing?

Medical tubing is used to connect medical devices and robotics from patient to operator. Polygon initially started medical tubing for laparoscopic prostate procedures in the 1980s when a customer inquiry arrived requiring rigid composite tubing to insert up the urethra. Today, we’re a proven leader in composite medical tubing that withstands the strain of fast starts and provides protection against short-circuits.

 

How are composite medical tubing products made?

All of Polygon’s medical tubing is made using pultrusion in varied fiber orientations, including unidirectional, circumferential, and braided. The fibers are pulled, wound, and heated simultaneously. For more information on the benefits of each fiber orientation, check out our Medical Design Guide.

 

What are the most common applications for composite medical tubing products?

Polygon medical tubing is most commonly used in minimally invasive products such as ablation tools, robotic surgery, endoscopic/laparoscopic devices, and suction/irrigation devices. See more in our Medical Design Guide.

Are composite solutions safe to use in a medical application?

Yes! It’s also self-insulating,which protects both patients and operators from risk of shock.

 

How are POLYGON products made?

Depending on the product we’re making, Polygon Composites are made in one of the following ways:

Filament wound: The fibers are dipped in resin, wound around a mandrel, then moved to the ovens to bake.

Braided: The fibers are wound around each other in a braid, and then the whole braid is dipped in resin.

Pultruded: The fibers are pulled, wound, and heated simultaneously.

How do you test your products and what tests do you recommend before implementing a composite solution?
Our first goal is to make sure we engineer our products to your exact specifications, so that whether we test their performance or you do, they live up to and exceed your standards. If we know the test method you’ll be implementing, we can often mirror it in our facility before delivering the final product to you.

Outside of your specific project, we test our products’ temperature ranges, voltage tolerances, chemical reactions, pressure, and water.

What information is necessary to know if a composite solution is right for our application?

The more you can tell us, the better. At minimum, we’d like to know where the composite solution will go, what it will do, what environmental factors will be present, and what temperature tolerance, load capacity, and water absorption we need to account for.

Are your composite products pre-made, or is every order custom?
Your project isn’t “off-the-shelf,” and our solutions aren’t either. We go into each project ready to engineer a customized effort just for your application.
Do you have materials on-hand to fulfill my order?

We keep raw materials on hand but finished stock can depend on the size and specifications of the product. If we help you create a large inventory of bearings and/or tubing for your project, we can often hold it onsite and ship it to you as needed. If you’re curious about lead times, we’re able to meet most lead times–even with a fully customized product. Of course, shipping, logistics, and medical restrictions can always impact the timeline.

Do you offer product samples for specific applications?

We have medical sample kits so you can hold our materials in your hands and, more importantly, perform any preliminary testing you might need.

How quickly can you produce a composite sample for my specific application?

We often find that creating a custom sample doesn’t offer cost or time savings over creating your actual, customized product. For that reason, we recommend discussing your exact application with our engineers, who can answer virtually any question about what you can change and what performance you can expect.

CASE STUDIES

Polygon Medical Tubing Improves Safety in Pharma Ablation Procedures

Non-metallic shafts deliver needed rigidity and strength without conducting electricity

Polygon Medical Tubing Improves Safety and Costs in Disposable Suction Irrigation Device Components

Non-conductive cannulae reduce electrical shock risk without sacrificing rigidity

READY FOR MORE INFORMATION?

Download a design guide so you have all the Polygon medical tubing details on hand to share with your team. Or contact us with questions or to get your project started.