TPi November 2013

Small diameter, high precision tubes

The expression “small is better” was not coined in the tubing industry, which does not discriminate on the basis of size. a perfectly turned tube is a very fine thing, whatever its inside diameter. That said, small-diameter tubing has a thin wall, and its manufacturing tolerances for concentricity are typically very tight,

especially for safety-critical and medical applications. Metal and plastic tubes in diameters under 0.125", capable of intricate fabrication and with varying rigidity and bending radius requirements, allow very little margin for error. Miniature flexible tubing as small as 95 thousandths of an inch will reduce that allowance to zero.

Photograph: Tecnofar SpA – Italy