The production and properties of micro-extruded low-density polyethylene microtubes

Micro-extrusion is the process of obtaining microtubes with either simple or complex cross-sections which are used for the high-precision transport and protection of various of media. Through this process, it is possible to create tubing with interior diameters and wall thicknesses as small as 0.1 mm and 0.05 mm respectively. Micro-extruded tubing such as micro catheters and peripheral intravenous cannulas are employed in microfluidics, paediatrics and micro-analytics. This article presents the results of granulometric tests of micropellets produced by micro-extrusion with cold pelletizing and results of tensile strength tests of microrods of different diameters. The trials were performed using a standard twin-screw extruder and low-density polyethylene.