TE Connectivity 3D Prints Polymer Coatings for Medical Catheters

Additive Manufacturing Enters Catheter Production

TE Connectivity has rolled out an automated 3D printing process that builds polymer sections directly onto catheter shafts as they rotate on a fixture. The system was developed in-house at the company's PROPELUS Prototype Center in Galway, Ireland, and TE says it lowers part cost, reduces waste, and speeds production without sacrificing the mechanical properties or surface finish that medical customers require.

The process matters because catheters are not simple cylinders. Different zones call for different wall thicknesses, durometers, and lengths. Conventional manufacturing handles this with multi-step molding and over-extrusion, generating offcuts and long setups. TE's approach deposits polymer only where it is needed, giving engineers finer control over the cross-section along the full length of the shaft.

More Than Just Material Savings

Design freedom is the bigger story. By printing on the catheter itself, the process can embed functionality between layers. Conductive traces, strain sensors, and shape-memory structures become realistic options. TE's medical engineering team sees opportunities for actuators that open or bend the catheter from inside the body, or for localized coatings that release heparin or antibiotics on demand. Bernard McDermott, Medical Engineering Fellow at TE, called it a paradigm shift in catheter manufacturing with the potential to simplify supply chains and reduce environmental impact.

The medical tubing market is already on a growth trajectory, forecast to reach $19.6 billion by 2031. Polymer AM applied at the shaft level could capture a meaningful slice of that by lowering the cost of differentiated devices.

What This Means for Healthcare AM

Additive manufacturing has slowly worked its way into medical devices over the last decade, mostly in orthopedic implants and surgical guides. Catheters present a different challenge: high volume, tight tolerances, and strict biocompatibility rules. A validated large-scale 3D printing process for a commodity medical component signals that the economics have finally turned the corner.

TE's 90,000-employee scale means the process, if proven at volume, can shift an entire product line faster than a startup ever could. If other OEMs follow suit, polymer-based AM at the shaft level could become standard in minimally invasive device manufacturing within a few years.