Catheter Performance Innovations Through Precision Coating

Engineered metal coatings that enhance conductivity, flexibility, durability, and overall performance in catheter-based devices

What Impacts Catheter Performance?

Catheter performance is defined by how effectively a device can navigate anatomy, deliver therapy, and maintain reliability during use.

Key factors include flexibility, profile, electrical performance, durability, and visibility—each of which can be directly influenced by how materials and coatings are applied.

ProPlate’s coating solutions are engineered to enhance these performance characteristics without adding complexity to the device.

Key Performance Drivers in Catheter Design

Flexibility & Deflection

Coatings must maintain material flexibility, especially in distal sections, to support navigation and precise positioning.

Low Profile & Miniaturization

Thin, conformal coatings enable functionality without increasing device size or limiting design constraints.

Electrical Performance

Reliable conductivity is critical for sensing, stimulation, and ablation applications.

Durability & Wear Resistance

Coatings must withstand mechanical stress, repeated use, and interaction with biological environments.

Adhesion & Reliability

Strong bonding prevents delamination, cracking, or component failure during use.

Precision & Repeatability

Consistent coating thickness and placement are essential for manufacturing scalability.

How Coatings Improve Catheter Performance

Engineered coatings allow functionality to be integrated directly into catheter components rather than added through secondary parts or assemblies.

This enables:

Reduced device complexity
Improved mechanical performance
Enhanced electrical functionality
Greater design flexibility

By applying metal only where needed, coatings support performance without compromising device design.

Looking to improve catheter performance without redesigning your device?

Engineering Challenges in Catheter-based Devices

Catheter-based devices present unique engineering challenges due to their size, flexibility, and performance requirements. ProPlate’s processes are designed to address these challenges directly.

Key Challenges	ProPlate Solutions
Maintaining flexibility while adding functionality	Thin, conformal coatings that move with the device
Achieving reliable electrical performance	Selective metal application for targeted functionality
Preventing coating failure under mechanical stress	Strong adhesion to prevent cracking or delamination
Integrating features without increasing profile	Precision masking for exact placement
Ensuring repeatability at scale	Scalable processes for production consistency

Components Where Coatings Improve Performance

Balloon Catheters

Enable electrodes and conductive features while maintaining flexibility during expansion.

Ring Electrodes

Improve electrical and thermal performance for ablation and sensing applications.

Pull-Ring Assemblies

Enhance visibility and structural reliability in steering mechanisms.

Guidewires & Hypotubes

Support durability, conductivity, and precision in navigation components.

Catheter Shafts & Subassemblies

Enable integration of functional coatings without increasing profile.

Catheter Performance Case Studies & White Papers

Vizi-Band® Radiopaque Markers for Catheters

Traditional catheter marker bands require precise mechanical attachment, adding cost and risk of inconsistency or dislodgement. ProPlate developed the Vizi-Band® process to selectively apply radiopaque coatings with accurate placement and repeatable results. The result was improved visibility, reduced profile, and enhanced reliability without secondary assembly steps.

Download White Paper PDF→

The Product: Catheter Marker Bands

Marker bands help with the placement and guidance of catheters during medical procedures due to their radiopaque properties. A traditional marker band is a short, thin-walled tube machined from Gold or Platinum that is mechanically crimped or swaged at specific locations on a catheter to provide high levels of visibility under an x-ray fluoroscope. This allows surgeons to precisely locate the catheter placement deep within the body to deploy stents, balloons, and other devices.

The Challenge

Medical device manufacturing requires highly controlled processes that meet stringent criteria. In order to provide consistent radiopacity, ProPlate® had to determine the optimum process solution. The other challenge for this project was the precise placement at specific locations along the catheter or similar components. The marker bands had to be selectively placed at exact locations, with consistent and repeatable results.

The Engineered Solution

ProPlate® worked in order to achieve comparable radiopacity to traditional markers. A set of studies were conducted until ProPlate® was satisfied with the results. Through these trials, ProPlate® developed Vizi-Band®, a highly radiopaque and bio-compatible metal coating that can be selectively applied to any area of the desired component, with endless options for design and brightness customization. Custom tooling and masking were developed to ensure consistent and accurate positioning of the Vizi-Band® marker coating along the catheter, guidewire, hypotube, stent, or similar components. Vizi-Band® allows a manufacturer to reduce the labor component of handling and attaching the traditional marker bands, reduce the cost of machining them from solid Gold, and improve distal tip flexibility. Vizi-Band® not only improved application performance by reducing the catheter profile but also eliminated the risk of traditional marker band dislodgement due to it being atomically bonded to the component.

Benefits

Bio-Compatible
Replace Traditional Markers
Reduce Material & Labor Costs
Lower Device Profile
Improve Distal Tip Flexibility
Eliminate Dislodgement Risk
Atomically Bonded Coating

Contests & Awards:

2015 Minnesota MedTech Week Innovation Contest-Top 10 Finalist: Vizi-Band®
2015 MD&M West & UBM Canon Supplier Innovation Challenge-Top 10 Finalist: Vizi-Band®
2016 BIOMEDevice San Jose Innovation Contest-Top 5 Finalist: Vizi-Band®
2017 BIOMEDevice Boston Must See Product-Top 11 Finalist: Vizi-Band®
2017 MD&M Minneapolis Emerging Technologies Tour-Top 5 Finalist: Vizi-Band®

Meta-Poly® Metallization for Polymer Medical Devices

Traditional methods for coating polymers rely on chemical etching or conductive paints, which introduce toxicity risks and weak adhesion in medical applications. ProPlate developed the Meta-Poly® process to electroplate metals directly onto polymers without etching, creating a strong, biocompatible bond. The result is a low-profile, conductive, and reliable coating solution that enables new design possibilities for catheter-based and implantable devices.

Download White Paper PDF→

The Product: Coating Precious Metal onto Plastic

Coating metal on polymers was first widely used by the automotive industry in the 1960s. and is still frequently performed by that industry today. It is commonly achieved through the electroless plating process. Traditionally, before coating can be applied, a chemical etching process is performed to prepare the surface of the polymer.

The Challenge

The chemical etching process traditionally used to prepare the plastic surface for plating involves toxic chromic acid-based solutions. Although this may be beneficial for adhesion and an acceptable process for the automotive industry, this toxic surface preparation is not acceptable for medical industry applications. There are readily available alternative methods, such as painting the polymer with a metallic filled paint so that the layer of paint is conductive and electroplating can then be applied. However, this method is also problematic in critical applications like medical devices due to the bond being only as strong as the paint, which causes adhesion failures.

The Engineered Solution

After a complete analysis of the manufacturing process, an innovative use of current technologies was developed by ProPlate® to electroplate polymer substrates without the use of chemical etching or metal-filled paints. Since this proprietary process does not involve chemical etching, bio-compatibility is not an issue. With ProPlate's Meta-Poly® innovation, the polymer substrate, and electroplated metal bond are comparable to a metal-to-metal atomically electroplated bond, eliminating the adhesion issues experienced using alternative methods. ProPlate® has successfully plated onto Pebax, PEEK, Polyamide, and Urethane. Although the medical device applications are limitless, Meta-Poly® is especially exciting for catheter applications. For example, ProPlate® can selectively add radiopaque markers and current conducting paths to polymers. Meta-Poly® provides the same benefits as plating on metallic surfaces, eliminates the risk of dislodgement, maintains a low profile, offers cost reduction, and provides endless possibilities for design customization.

Benefits

Reduce Device Profile
Bio-Compatible
Atomically Bonded Coating
Selectively Applied
Electrically Conductive
Maintains Polymer Plasticity

Applications

Micro-Circuitry & Electrodes
Sensing & Signals
Stimulation & Ablation
Monitoring & Diagnostics

Featured Articles & Contests:

Torq-Lok® Braid Plating for Increased Torque Transmission

Braided catheters lose torque transmission efficiency when wire strands slide past each other at their points of intersection. ProPlate developed the patented Torq-Lok® process to lock these intersections together through selective metal plating. The result was a significant increase in torque response and torque-to-failure without sacrificing flexibility or increasing the catheter’s outer diameter.

Download White Paper PDF→

The Product: Braided Catheters

Braided catheter designs are generally used for applications that require high torque, pushability, kink resistance, and steerability. When designing a braid-reinforced catheter, it is crucial to consider the benefits of plating in the design phase to ensure the part meets the needs of the user.

The Challenge

ProPlate® set out to test whether catheter performance could be improved through electroplating. The initial challenge was working with a variety of polymer core materials, each of which reacts differently to the plating chemistries used throughout the Torq-Lok® process. An additional challenge was establishing reliable, repeatable adhesion, and ensuring the process could be reproduced at production volumes across various braid configurations.

The Engineered Solution

ProPlate® ran trials across different core materials to determine the best approach for each substrate, then tailored the Torq-Lok® process to achieve dependable adhesion. Custom tooling was developed to ensure consistent, repeatable outcomes at volume production. Preliminary testing of the Torq-Lok® process showed a 30-66% increase in torque response, a 66% increase in torque-to-failure, and a 90° increase in twist before kinking, compared to traditional, non-coated catheters. Torq-Lok® also eliminated unraveling at the catheter ends, improved pushability, enabled control of radial forces, and minimized elongation while maintaining flexibility. (Braided catheters used in this test: 4 French OD, 60 pic count, 12 inches long, 2-over-2-under-2 pattern, .001″ x .004″ wire. Results may vary.)

Benefits

Increased Torque Response
Increased Torque-to-Failure
Improved Kink Resistance
Eliminates Cut-End Unraveling
Improved Pushability
Maintains Flexibility
Patented Process

Patents

Torq-Lok® is protected under U.S. Patent 9,962,522 B2, “Braid Plating Method for Torsional Stiffness,” assigned to Professional Plating, Inc.

Recognition

2015 MD&M West and Qmed Supplier Innovation Challenge — Finalist: Torq-Lok®
2016 BIOMEDevice Boston Innovation Challenge — Top 10 Finalist: Torq-Lok®

Gold & Platinum Plated Marker Bands as a Pt-Ir Alternative

Traditional platinum-iridium marker bands offer strong radiopacity but come with high costs, long lead times, and manufacturing challenges. ProPlate developed a solution using stainless steel marker bands plated with gold and platinum to achieve comparable performance. The result was a cost-effective, scalable alternative that reduced material usage, simplified manufacturing, and maintained radiopaque visibility.

Download White Paper PDF→

The Product: Au & Pt Plated Loose Radiopaque Marker Bands

A radiopaque marker band is a small metallic ring or band placed on a medical device, such as a stent or part of a catheter assembly. The radiopaque marker band helps visualize the location and orientation of the device during medical procedures using X-ray or other imaging technologies. Installation methods for radiopaque marker bands include but are not limited to, crimping, welding, and adhesive bonding. Crimping involves using a tool to compress the marker band onto a specific location on the device. Some marker bands can be welded onto the device using a laser or other heat source. Adhesive bonding uses specialized adhesives to attach the marker band to the device. The marker band appears as a dense and bright area on the X-ray image, which allows medical professionals to accurately position the device and monitor its movement within the body. Radiopaque marker bands are commonly used in interventional cardiology and radiology procedures, where precise placement and alignment of devices are critical for successful outcomes.

The Challenge

The most common fabrication for radiopaque marker band is using Platinum-Iridium. Pt-Ir marker bands are preferred in the medical industry due to their radiopacity, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and durability properties. However, there are challenges with Pt-Ir marker bands. The material properties may create challenges during the manufacturing process. Due to the dense, hard, and brittle characteristics, shaping the marker bands may be challenging and require specialized equipment. There is also high cost associated with Pt-Ir marker bands due to the cost of raw materials, as Iridium is rare and expensive. Along with the high cost, due to the availability of raw materials, lead times for Pt-Ir marker bands have increased over time. The challenge in finding an alternative to Pt-Ir marker bands was identifying a material with similar material properties, lower costs, and shorter lead times.

The Engineered Solution

After an analysis of the manufacturing process for Pt-Ir marker bands, an alternative was discovered. ProPlate worked through a series of tests to achieve comparable radiopacity to Pt-Ir marker bands. Fabricating marker bands using lower-cost materials and adding electroplating to the manufacturing process would reduce the amount of precious material used, ultimately reducing costs. The addition of electroplating adds the necessary material properties of traditional Pt-Ir marker band to the low-cost material alternative. Marker bands were fabricated using stainless steel and electroplated using Gold. Gold’s material properties include radiopacity, biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance, similar attributes to Platinum, making it an excellent choice for this application. The properties of stainless steel also decrease potential manufacturing challenges such as shaping. Development was continued, and in addition to Gold plated marker bands, ProPlate engineered a process for Platinum plated stainless steel marker bands—a stack of Gold and Platinum. Platinum is 10% denser and costs less than Gold. With Platinum plated marker bands, the material consumption decreases along with cost and still provides comparable radiopaque visibility. Gold and Platinum plated stainless steel marker bands are a comparative alternative to traditionally fabricated Pt-Ir marker bands. Reducing costs, lead time, precious metal consumption, and challenges in the manufacturing process.

Benefits:

Replace Traditional Markers
Reduce Material Consumption
Reduce Overall Costs
Reduce Lead Times

Gold & Platinum Plated Ring Electrodes for Catheter Performance

Traditional catheter electrodes made from platinum-iridium or stainless steel present limitations in conductivity, flexibility, and design. ProPlate developed a solution using selectively applied gold and platinum to form electrodes directly on complex geometries without machining or secondary attachment. The result was improved electrical and thermal performance, reduced profile, and enhanced reliability without the risk of dislodgement.

Download White Paper PDF→

The Product: Catheter Ring Electrodes

Several broad categories of electrodes are used in catheter assemblies; ring electrodes, electrode pads, probes, cores, and wires. Traditionally catheter manufacturers and OEMs implement Platinum-Iridium (Pt/Ir) or Stainless-Steel electrode components through laser micro-machining, crimping, coiling, or swaging onto industry-standard Nitinol, Tungsten, MP35N, or Stainless-Steel base materials. These electrodes are typically applied to the tips of catheters, pull ring assemblies, discrete struts of stents, flexible laser-slotted hypo-tubes and rigid hypo-tubes, guidewire tips, needles, mandrel cores, and other similar catheter-based components. The most common functional uses of catheter electrodes are ablation, stimulation, and sensing electrodes. Monopolar, concentric, and macro electrode designs are commonly used in electrode applications.

The Challenge

Electrode materials often need to be highly electrically conductive or resistive depending on the application, thermally conductive, and biocompatible, with a low potential for corrosivity and dissolution. Gold and Platinum are often the preferred material for electrodes used in the medical device industry. Pure Platinum & Pure Gold are too soft to be machined as an electrode or a radiopaque marker for a catheter assembly, which is why Pt/Ir and SS are often used even though there are downsides to performance and limitations for installation into a catheter build. Unfortunately, Stainless Steel electrodes are far less thermally and electrically conductive than precious metal electrodes. Pt/Ir electrodes reduce component flexibility and cannot easily be installed onto complex geometries. They also have design limitations regarding wall thickness for a ring-electrode because traditional machining of Pt/Ir has constraints due to the subtractive nature of the process, which in turn results in a more extensive dimensional profile. Platinum-Iridium alloys are also vulnerable to corrosion and dissolution with intensive stimulation protocols.

The Engineered Solution

Rather than use a machining process and various methods of limited installation for rigid Stainless Steel or Platinum-Iridium alloys as markers and electrodes, ProPlate® uses pure Platinum or Gold with its additive plating process. In this scenario, electroplating has a clear advantage. Instead of subtractive machining followed by an installation process such as swaging or crimping, electroplating builds the Platinum or Gold layer gradually, several micro-inches at a time, and can be selectively applied in a myriad of shape and thickness designs with tight control of tolerances. Therefore, it is advantageous in this specific application to use an electrode installation because it allows the use of pure soft forms of metal instead of hard Platinum-Iridium alloys. Compared to Pt/Ir alloys and SS, pure Gold and Platinum are superior at conducting electricity and have other performance advantages. The advantage of Gold or Platinum is that pure Gold shares similar properties and characteristics with pure Platinum regarding biocompatibility, low potentials for corrosivity and dissolution, high density, ductility, and malleability. Gold is a superior electrical and thermal conductor, while Platinum has higher electrical resistivity and hardness properties in comparison. These properties are often advantageous for catheter component performance, especially for applications requiring electrodes for sensing, stimulation, and ablation. ProPlate® uses electroplating processes to apply Gold or Platinum onto complex catheter component geometries, often resulting in lower-dimensional profiles and eliminating the risk of marker or electrode ring dislodgement. Gold and Platinum electrodes may result in a higher ablation success rate and reduce char/coagulation formation incidents, making these electrodeposited metals the preferred electrode material of choice over Platinum-Iridium electrode or Stainless-Steel materials used in ablation applications.

Benefits

Reduce Device Profile
Tailored Electrical Conductivity/Resistivity
Radiopaque Materials
Bio-Compatible
Atomically Bonded
Selectively Applied

Gold Plated Pull-Ring Assemblies for Radiopacity & Performance

Pull-ring assemblies require precise radiopacity at critical locations, but traditional material options present joining challenges and design limitations. ProPlate developed a selective Vizi-Band® plating process to apply gold only to targeted areas of the ring and wire interface without damaging delicate components. The result was enhanced visibility, improved bond strength, and reliable performance in complex catheter assemblies.

Download Case Study PDF →

The Product: Catheter Pull-rings

A pull-ring is part of a medical catheter assembly. The pull-ring allows for steerability and deflection of the catheter during a procedure. Typically, to deflect the tip of a catheter, a wire that runs the length of the catheter shaft is pulled, which is joined to the distal tip of the catheter. The pull wire is commonly installed by welding a Stainless-Steel wire to a Stainless-Steel ring and then installing the ring within the distal end of the catheter through a reflow process or similar. When the wire is pulled from the proximal end of the assembly, the ring location will determine the deflected shape. Oftentimes a catheter needs to deflect in two directions for a procedure, which requires two pull wires installed within the ring on opposite sides from each other. Typically, a handle is at the proximal end of a pull-wire assembly, giving the operator of the catheter the option to contract and release the tip of the guidewire as the catheter is placed.

The Challenge

A client required the Stainless-Steel ring of a pull-ring plated assembly to be plated with ProPlate's Vizi-Band® radiopaque marker coating for radiopacity brightness. The ring's location during the procedure was critical to the application as location dictates the deflected shape, which is why the SS ring needed to be highly radiopaque. The alternatives are to use Platinum-Iridium rings in place of the SS rings; however, these dissimilar metals do not join easily and often result in a bond with adequate tensile strength. The plating challenge was to selectively apply Vizi-Band® to the ring and a very small section at the joined area where the distal tip of the wire connects to the pull-ring, without coating leakage beyond this area and without bending or damaging the lead wires or damaging the fragile rings. Additionally, ProPlate® needed to obtain good adhesion of the Vizi-Band® RO plating onto the desired areas, which had been welded and electropolished prior to plating. Due to the heat scale from the welding process, and a passive layer from an electropolishing process, plating would not readily adhere to the required areas with a standard plating process.

The Engineered Solution

The solution ProPlate® engineered required a tailored plating process, masking process, and process fixture. ProPlate® used a proprietary mechanical masking method to protect the wires during the plating process while reducing handling of the parts to mitigate risk or damage to the parts. The fixture was in-part used to mask the pull wires and give an electrical connection close to the plated area for the best plating outcomes. Additionally, plating preparation steps needed to be tailored to the unique components to ensure adequate adhesion by removing the heat scale oxide and passive layer created by the welding and passivation processes prior to plating. Plating Gold (Au) Vizi-Band® added radiopacity brightness to the critical area required for the catheter application, as well as created a stronger bond at the joined area of the ring and wire due to the bond being a SS to SS weld that is then plated over with Gold (Au) for further bond strength.

Benefits

Replace Traditional Markers
Reduce Material & Labor Costs
Lower Device Profile
Improve Distal Tip Flexibility
Atomically Bonded Coating

Why ProPlate

ProPlate partners with medical device manufacturers to solve complex coating challenges across minimally invasive and implantable devices. Our engineering team works from early-stage development through production to ensure performance, reliability, and manufacturability at scale.