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Core Technology

Answering Sophisticated Needs by Fusing Four Core Technologies

As an R&D-type company, Asahi Intecc always takes on the challenge of product making at a high level. What makes this possible is the variety of our own technologies that were developed and cultivated in the process of answering to the sophisticated needs of our customers. Our core technologies are the total high-functioning micro technologies for wire drawing, wire forming, torque and resin coating. High-performance products are being created through a combination of these technologies.

Wire Drawing Technology

Asahi Intecc’s high-precision wire drawing technology is applied in the production of blade wires which are embedded in wires that are the core of PTCA guide wires as well as in PTCA guiding catheters. The most vital part of the wire drawing technology is the section called the “die”, the component in the middle of about 2.5cm with a micron-level hole. Even though the hole section of the die is made of diamond it begins to gradually wear off with use. In order to maintain the precision of the shape of the die Asahi Intecc has introduced a high-precision die shape inspection device to measure the center hole of the die at an accuracy of a few thousandths of a millimeter. Through rigorous management of the wire drawing process which is the base of all products, high-precision parts of medical devices with maximally reduced errors are being produced.

Wire Forming Technology

The tips of PTCA guide wires are comprised of flexible coil structures so as to not damage the blood vessels. Asahi Intecc’s wire forming technology is used to produce these coils. Besides this, the technology is used for PTCA guiding catheters, angiographic catheters, wire blades used for micro catheters (increasing the strength and operability of catheters by weaving wires with a diameter of 30 to 60 μm and embedding them into catheters) and such and is applied to products by forming wires into various shapes at the micron level.

Torque Technology

Asahi Intecc’s medical devices are highly appraised in the market due to their excellent rotation following capacity. This is made possible by Asahi Intecc’s own processing equipment and special torque technology which gives the wires an ideal degree of this quality. This rotation following capacity which other companies were not able to implement is imparted onto guide wires, catheters and other products to realize advanced operability.

Polymer Coating Technology

■Coating Technology

Various types of coating are available for medical devices in order to improve lubricity in the blood vessels. Asahi Intecc’s ultrathin film coating technology which controls hydrophilic polymers, silicon, PTFE, etc. at the micron level gives further characteristic to medical devices.

■Blending Technology

Blending technology refers to the technology of uniformly mixing a plurality of types of materials with differing characteristics such as hardness and solubility. For example, doctors use cine imaging that utilizes x-rays to check the catheter position in the body during the endovascular procedures. Polymer materials themselves are not generally radiopaque, and therefore, they are compounded with powder-form contrast agents for medical tubing. An important point in the blending process is to uniformly disperse the contrast agent, and this requires high technological capabilities.

■Tube Forming Technology

Tube forming technology refers to the technology of forming various polymer tubing for medical devices. When it comes to extrusion molding, there are many types of tubing such as single-layer, multi-layer, multi-lumen and multi-flexible tubing and we can offer our extruded tubing at high accuracy according to the needs of customers. They are available in various types of polymers such as urethane and fluoropolymers which are difficult to extrude. In addition, PTFE dipping products (thin film) are used as a liner interior of catheters, and we are able to supply high-quality products with stable dimensions.

Tube Forming Technology

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