Standard Balloon
What We Do
We specialise in the development and manufacture of advanced medical balloon components for the global medical device industry.Why choose us Because we are experienced
Our team of engineers and technicians has 80+ years of combined experience, specifically in medical balloon component development and high volume production
Our customers Large & small
Our customers include; large multinational medical device manufacturers, OEMs, contract manufacturers, design agencies and early-stage start-ups. We can support your balloon project no matter its scale.
Our approach Innovation enabled by quality
We use our proprietary robotic balloon forming technology to expand what’s possible today. Our manufacturing facility is ISO 13485 certified providing full traceability and peace of mind
Got a challenging balloon project? Get in touch and we’ll bring you to the forefront of balloon component technology globally.
Balloon Types
We make a wide variety of balloons, ranging from non-compliant (non-stretchy) to ultra-compliant (very stretchy) in all shapes and sizes. We stock many popular balloon materials including; Nylon, PET, Pebax, PolyUrethanes and TPEs to meet your custom needs quickly. Our robotic blow moulding process can be optimised to hit your design-targets like; thin walls, high burst-pressures and small crossing profiles, giving you a truly custom balloon component in a short timeframe.Balloon Materials & Performance
Non-compliant balloonsdo not increase (significantly) in diameter when inflated to high pressures.
These balloons are typically used in dilatation applications (like stent deployment) where high-force and high-dimensional-accuracy are required.
Semi-compliant balloonsincrease in diameter (slightly) when inflated to high pressures.
Semi-compliant balloons are used for medium to high pressure applications where a “one size fits most” approach is desirable. Controlled radial expansion balloons can reach multiple target diameters at various inflation pressures or volumes.
Compliant balloonsgrow significantly in diameter when inflated and then return back to a smaller diameter when deflated.
Volume control is often preferred (over pressure control) for these typically low-pressure and high-expansion-ratio balloons
Materials Selection
We can blow mould balloons using a variety of medical-grade thermoplastic materials. We can help you choose the right polymer to maximise your balloon performance and integrate with your medical device and assembly process. Our stock balloon materials include:PET
Polyethylene terephthalate is a thermoplastic polyester with a high ultimate tensile strength and low elongation at break. It can be used for non-compliant balloons with high burst pressures. Thermobonding of PET balloons to your catheter shaft may pose challenges (depending on material compatibility) so adhesives may be required.
Nylon
Nylon is well suited to non-compliant and high pressure balloon applications. This material can be thermally bonded to Nylon and PEBAX catheter shafts and is a good, slightly softer alternative to PET.
PEBAX
This polymer is similar to Nylon but it comes in multiple shore-hardnesses ranging from 72D (fairly hard like Nylon) to 25D or 75A (quite soft), allowing for optimisation of balloon compliance, flexibility and burst pressure. It is typically used in semi-compliant balloon applications. It can be thermally bonded to Nylon, Pebax and sometimes TPU catheter shafts.
PolyUrethane PU, TPU
Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPUs) are typically used for compliant and semi-compliant balloon applications. They have relatively high “elongation at break” values allowing for significant balloon diameter growth without failure. We have worked with both soft (70A to 90A) and hard (55D to 75D) urethane materials. TPUs are well suited to thermal bonding. We have significant experience making difficult balloons from TPUs.
Thermoplastic Elastomers TPE
TPEs typically have very high “elongation at break” values and consequently provide a good alternative to Latex (which is allergenic) and Silicone (which is difficult to bond or process). These materials are soft with Shore hardness ranging from 20A to 50A. TPEs are well suited to low-pressure, ultra-high-compliance balloon applications where significant growth in balloon diameter is required. We have significant experience making difficult balloons from TPEs.
Other Polymer Materials
We also work with polymers not listed here including polymer blends, resin-compounds that have been engineered to improve performance like for example reduced friction or altered compliance. As medical-grade polymers continue to improve, we leverage these new materials to produce superior balloons.
Our Balloons are shipped globally from our HQ in Wexford, Ireland. Get in touch to speak to us and to set up your order.
Hoop Services
Perhaps you know what your ideal balloon must do, but you don’t have that distilled into a balloon component drawing? Our engineers can provide Design Services to accelerate your balloon project so that you can spend more time on everything else.We also offer a Pleat and Fold service to reduce the crossing profile of your balloons. We can do this at the balloon component level and we can supply your balloons in a low friction protector sleeve.
Request A Quote
Please fill in the form below to request a quote.Contact Hoop
We’re based in Ireland but we ship balloons to our customers all over the world. Our regional sales partners include; Haldeman & Frazier (West coast USA) and Betz-Tek (midwest USA) and MDS (Japan). For Global Enquiries Email: sales@hoopmedical.comOur AddressWexford, Ireland
Mail usanytime
Our Co-Founder and CEO | Clive Hayes
Clive has focussed his engineering career in medical balloon component development and manufacture and is highly knowledgeable in this space. He has a proven track record as a manager and as a leader. He has the rare combination of high-level-insight and deep technical (hands-on) experience which makes him the ideal CEO for Hoop.
Our Co-Founder and MD | Teddy Mudge
Teddy is passionate about innovation and (along with the Team’s help) is constantly improving what we do at Hoop. He graduated Cum Laude from Imperial College London and is building on his career as an engineer and entrepreneur in medical balloons.