CATHETER COMPONENTS
Cryogenic Deflashing for Catheter Components
Catheter tips, hubs and seals are small, soft and unforgiving — hand trimming flash on them risks the exact surfaces that matter. Nitrofreeze freezes the flash brittle and removes it without a tool ever touching the part.
Can catheter components be cryogenically deflashed?
Yes — Nitrofreeze cryogenically deflashes molded catheter components at its Worcester, Massachusetts facility, including soft-durometer silicone tips, hubs, valves and seals down to 0.025″ with thin walls. Small, thin-walled components are the normal case for this process rather than the difficult one, because nothing mechanical has to grip or reach the part.
Will deflashing affect tip geometry or sealing surfaces?
No. The Nitrofreeze process does not affect surface finish, geometry, or the material itself. The flash is embrittled and broken away at its thin root, so tip profiles, sealing faces, lumens and wall thicknesses stay exactly as molded — including on soft-durometer parts that deform under a blade at room temperature.
Is the process clean enough for medical components?
The only things that touch the part are nitrogen and polycarbonate media — no cutting fluids, no solvents, no abrasive grit, and no hand tools dragged across a molded surface. Parts leave dry. Tell Nitrofreeze the cleanliness requirement with the first sample and it is built into the documented process.
What catheter materials and components does this work for?
Nitrofreeze deflashes catheter components molded in silicone and LSR, nitrile and other elastomers, along with thermoplastic parts in PTFE and PVDF (Kynar®). Typical parts include catheter tips, hubs, connectors, duckbill and check valves, seals, gaskets, grommets and overmolded assemblies.
How small — and how large — can parts be?
Nitrofreeze processes parts from 0.025″ with thin walls up to 12″ × 12″ in its cryogenic machines — and there is no upper limit on part size: larger parts route to dry ice deflashing or hand finishing. There is no minimum order quantity; runs are subject to a $125 minimum lot charge.
What’s the turnaround and typical cost?
The first run of a new catheter component is treated as a sample: five-day turnaround, free, as Nitrofreeze’s Pre-Production Engineering Evaluation. Once the customer approves the process, production orders turn around in as little as two days after receipt, with same-day and one-day service available for a small premium. Large volume orders typically require more time to process. Deflashing typically runs 10–20% of the value of the part.
Is Nitrofreeze ITAR registered and ISO certified?
Yes. Nitrofreeze is registered with the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) as a manufacturer/exporter under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and is certified to ISO 9001:2015 by NQA with a scope that names cryogenic deburring and deflashing. View the ISO certificate.
Send us your catheter components
The first run is a free Pre-Production Engineering Evaluation — five days, no obligation, with the process documented before you commit.
Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Solutions · 78 Chilmark Street, Worcester, MA 01604