TE Connectivity Replaces Manual Assembly With 3D Printed Catheter Jacketing

TE Connectivity has turned its Galway medical factory into a testbed for a new way to build catheters. The company's Advanced Technology Group at the PROPELUS Prototype Center developed an automated 3D printing process that applies polymer jacketing directly onto rotating catheter shafts during production.

Why catheters need a new manufacturing method

Catheter shafts are not simple uniform tubes. Different sections call for different polymer thicknesses, lengths, and materials. Some parts need flexibility; others need stiffness. Traditional manufacturing relies on manual assembly and multiple material passes, which is slow and generates offcuts. TE's new process prints the polymer onto the shaft as it rotates, eliminating those extra steps.

The result uses less material and runs faster than the old method. Part properties and surface finish stay consistent. Production also becomes more flexible. Engineers can iterate designs quicker and respond to customer requests without retooling an entire line.

What the new process actually does

The system prints polymer coatings in place on the catheter shaft. That opens up design possibilities that were difficult or impossible with conventional tooling. The company can embed sensors between layers, switch materials along the length of a single device, and create structures like actuators or cushions at specific points.

Shape memory materials could let a catheter change form after it is inside the body. Conductive traces printed into the jacket might turn the catheter into a sensing device, exporting data back to the surgeon. Strain sensors could monitor how the device flexes during a procedure.

Pat Duane, senior vice president of TE's Medical business, said the work reflects the company's focus on manufacturing innovation for minimally invasive devices. He believes additive manufacturing can expand design possibilities and accelerate development across catheter manufacturing.

Medical Engineering Fellow Bernard McDermott was more direct. He called the process, along with complementary disruptive processes in development, a paradigm shift in catheter manufacturing. He said it could significantly reduce product costs, simplify supply chains, and have a positive environmental impact.

The pressure to make medical devices cheaper

Catheters are critical devices, but they are also cost-sensitive. A urinary catheter used for a few days carries a different regulatory profile than a device that stays in the body for weeks or a catheter used to drain the heart. The market is pushing toward smarter catheters with more sensors and data output. All of that functionality has to fit into a thinner package, which makes manufacturing harder.

TE is one of the largest connector and sensor manufacturers in the world. If the company can scale this process across its medical product lines, the impact goes beyond a single factory in Ireland. The same approach could apply to other medical devices that need custom polymer coatings or embedded electronics.