An on-demand life sciences webinar from Great Lakes Industrial & Parker Parflex

Heat Shrink & Catheter Liners: What Medical Device Engineers Need to Know

Parker Parflex and Great Lakes Industrial (GLI) recorded a technical session on two materials behind nearly every catheter build: heat shrink and PTFE liners. Watch it on demand to see how material choice, construction, and sizing affect performance, and get a direct line to the engineering and supply chain support that turns a spec into a finished product.

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SESSION OVERVIEW

About This Session

In this recorded 1-hour session, Parker Parflex's material science experts and Great Lakes Industrial take a technical look at two materials at the center of that build: catheter liners and heat shrink. The session covers how liner construction and etching affect bonding and performance, and where PTFE, FEP, and PFA genuinely differ beyond the datasheet. It also covers what to weigh when sizing heat shrink so the reflow bonds cleanly, without voids or an uneven wall.

The recording also touches on broader fluoropolymer applications.

AUDIENCE

Who Its For

This session is built for medical device engineers, R&D and product development leads, and sourcing or procurement managers working on catheter-based devices, whether you're at an OEM or a contract manufacturer. If your work touches guide catheters, diagnostic or interventional catheters, introducer sheaths, microcatheters, or drug-delivery catheters, this session speaks directly to what you're building.

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Catheter Liner Construction

How liners are built and etched, and what that means for fit, bonding, and performance in a finished catheter shaft.

Fluoropolymer Application Differences

The practical tradeoffs between PTFE, FEP, and PFA, and how to choose the right material for your application, rather than guessing from a datasheet.

Key Considerations For Sizing Heat Shrink

How wall thickness, shrink ratio, and recovery temperature interact, and what to watch for to avoid voids or an uneven wall during reflow.

FEATURED WEBINAR SPEAKERS

Meet The Speakers

Josh Coe

Josh Coe is a Market Manager at Parker Hannifin, where he has spent over 13 years advancing the company's fluid handling and sealing solutions. Since joining Parker in 2013, he has progressed through roles in sales, business intelligence, business development, and product management, most recently leading market strategy from Parker's Ravenna, Ohio operations. Josh holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Operations from Ohio State University.

Market Manager, Parker Hannifin

Michael Allen

Michael Allen is a Project Manager at Parker Hannifin, with nearly 10 years of experience across plant operations, value stream management, and product sales at the company's Fort Worth, Texas facility. He previously served as Plant Manager, overseeing production management and plant operations, and holds an MBA from Kent State University and a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University.

Project Manager, Parker Hannifin

Grant Youngberg

Grant Youngberg serves as the lead partner to Life Sciences manufacturing customers at Great Lakes Industrial, where he brings expertise across a broad portfolio of sealing, hose, and fluid-handling solutions. He works closely with customers and internal engineering and procurement teams to deliver optimized, application-specific solutions that align with clients' sourcing and operational goals. Prior to GLI, Grant spent eight years at Grainger optimizing national accounts purchasing and sourcing strategies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Miami University.

Sales Engineer, Great Lakes Industrial

Lew Weich

Lew Weich is Sales Manager at Great Lakes Industrial, where he's spent over eight years across account management, strategic accounts, and inside sales leadership. He now leads GLI's sales team, shaping sales strategy, forecasts, and training while partnering with engineering and operations to match customers with the right sealing and fluid-handling solutions. Earlier at GLI, he worked directly with engineering teams as an Inside Sales Account Manager and Buyer, giving him strong product and sourcing knowledge. Lew holds a BS in Business Administration and Management from Cardinal Stritch University, completed cum laude through the school's accelerated program for working adults.

Sales Manager, Great Lakes Industrial

WHY GLI

The Partner Behind the Material

Parker makes world-class fluoropolymer materials, but many mid-size OEMs don't have a dedicated materials engineer, supply chain team, or regulatory affairs department. Knowing which material is technically correct is only step one. Getting it onto a validated, compliant, reliably-supplied production line is the real challenge. Parker engineers the material. GLI is how a company your size actually gets it onto the line.

Founded in 1954, GLI is one of Parker's oldest distributor partners, with 70+ years in business, 100 employees, 7 warehousing facilities, and standing as a US manufacturer and distributor. Built on 50+ years of hands-on Life Sciences experience, GLI is trusted by both large global medical device OEMs and small-to-medium manufacturers, and is fluent in the quality expectations of OEM manufacturers in this space. GLI bridges the gap to your application, helping select the right Parker solution and stocking inventory to meet demand as a value-added liaison to Parker's industry-leading technology.

Why this market matters: The global medical elastomers market (tubing, seals, gaskets) is roughly $10B to $18B and growing 6 to 8% annually (MarketsandMarkets, Fortune Business Insights). GLI backs that opportunity with a nimble, responsive team and strong ties to world-class factory partners like Parker.

This is what GLI brings

01 Custom Engineering

GLI closes the gap between Parker's materials and your application. In-house testing, prototyping, and 3D printing turn ideas into solutions built around

exactly what you need.

02 Supply chain solutions

GLI stocks parts, giving you more flexibility on volume and speed than working through Parker alone. Kitting streamlines part numbers and labor across

multiple Parker groups.

03 Documentation and traceability

ISO 9001:2015, PPAP-capable quality systems keep lot traceability organized alongside Parker's FDA/USP Class VI materials — so you're always audit-ready..

04 Flexibility and scale

Built for OEMs who need more than one-size-fits-all — high-mix, low-volume welcome. Warehouse and logistics investment keeps you ahead of demand,

not chasing it.

05 Proactive partnership

GLI gets ahead of risks and opportunities before you have to ask — risk audits, discovery workshops, lunch-and-learns, application guides. That's what a

real partner does.

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1 hour · On demand · No cost to watch