Applied Plastics
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1953
- HeadquartersNorwood, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Applied Plastics does
Applied Plastics LLC is a specialty manufacturer of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coatings applied to wires and metal-based components used inside advanced catheter systems. Founded in 1953 and headquartered in a single facility in Norwood, Massachusetts, the company sells four core coated component lines — mandrels, pull wires, guidewires, and hypotubes — each utilizing variants of its proprietary PTFE Natural® coating family (Natural, Flex, Tracker) developed over 70+ years of coating expertise. The company holds ISO 13485:2016 certification, operates high-speed automated spool-to-spool and precision spray coating lines designed for 24/7 production, and finishes components via in-house laser ablation, sand-blasting surface preparation, and laser micrometer quality control down to ±0.0001" tolerances.
The business generates revenue through three streams: direct sale of in-stock coated components via the Express Access online store (24-hour shipping, including internationally), custom coating services applied to customer-supplied substrates (including the 5-day Express Coat Program for R&D prototyping), and broader coating services across substrates such as aluminum, brass, copper, ceramics, stainless steel, titanium, glass, and Nitinol. Customers are medical device OEMs, contract manufacturers, and CDMOs developing catheter-based interventional devices, alongside R&D engineers sourcing prototypes through the online storefront. Go-to-market combines a self-serve e-commerce channel, U.S. regional sales representatives (Northeast, South, Central, Midwest, West), and international distribution partners covering Europe, the UK/Ireland, Israel, Asia, and Latin America/Caribbean.
Applied Plastics is a privately held portfolio company of Vance Street Capital, a private equity firm focused on the medical technology sector. Leadership blends founder-family continuity (Executive Chairman Dave Ring, son of founder Frank Ring) with professional management (CEO Thomas Barrett; Director of Sales Erik Wendehost). The company has progressively professionalized since the PE investment, investing in an R&D lab, expanding its proprietary product line, and building out a commercial organization centered on deep OEM collaboration.
Applied Plastics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Applied Plastics
- Legal name
- Applied Plastics LLC
- Website
- http://appliedplastics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1953
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Applied Plastics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Device Component Coatings
- NAICS
- Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)
- SIC
- Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF, FEP, ETFE) (IMAEANAH)
Keywords
Where Applied Plastics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Norwood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Applied Plastics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Coated Components Sales: Sale of PTFE-coated medical device components including mandrels, pull wires, guidewires, and hypotubes. Products available in standard sizes from inventory with 24-hour shipping and custom configurations to order.
- Custom Coating Services: Application of proprietary PTFE Natural® coatings to customer-supplied or customer-specified substrates, including Express Coat Program with 5-day turnaround for R&D prototypes.
- PTFE Coating on Various Materials: Coating services for wide range of materials including aluminum, brass, copper, ceramics, steel, stainless steel, titanium, glass, select plastics, and Nitinol for industrial and medical applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard in-stock components available through online store |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Applied Plastics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Applied Plastics manufactures and sells PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated medical device components—primarily mandrels, pull wires, guidewires, and hypotubes—for use in advanced catheter systems. The company also offers custom coating services, including an Express Coat Program with 5-day turnaround for R&D prototypes, applying its proprietary PTFE Natural® coating family to customer-supplied substrates across materials such as stainless steel, Nitinol, titanium, and aluminum.
Product overview
Applied Plastics is a precision PTFE coating manufacturer specializing in medical device components. The product portfolio centers on four core product lines: PTFE Natural coated Mandrels, Pull Wires (PTFE Natural Flex), Guidewires (PTFE Natural Tracker), and Hypotubes. These products are supported by the proprietary PTFE Natural coating family, which includes PTFE Natural (standard), PTFE Natural Flex (for pull wire applications), and PTFE Natural Tracker (for guidewire applications). Value-added services include the Express Coat Program (5-day turnaround), Applications Engineer Support, and a Custom Wire Configurator tool. Products are sold through an online store (Express Access) with 24-hour shipping on in-stock items.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PTFE Natural®: Proprietary PTFE coating process delivering high-quality coated products with superior lubricity and robustness for catheter design support.
- PTFE Natural® Flex
- PTFE Natural® Tracker
Products and services
- PTFE Natural Coated Mandrels
- PTFE Natural Flex Coated Pull Wires
- PTFE Natural Tracker Coated Guidewires
- PTFE Natural Coated Hypotubes
- Coating Services
- Express Coat Program
- Laser Ablation Service
- Applications Engineer Support
- Supply Chain Support
Companies that use Applied Plastics
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Applied Plastics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Applied Plastics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Applied Plastics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Harland Medical Systems: Harland Medical Systems provides hydrophilic and other lubricious coating services for medical device OEMs, including catheter and guidewire coatings—directly overlapping with Applied Plastics' coating services for interventional devices.
- Surmodics: Surmodics is a leading provider of surface modification coatings for medical devices, including lubricious and hydrophilic coatings used in catheter and guidewire applications—closely comparable to Applied Plastics' PTFE coating offerings.
- Biocoat: Biocoat specializes in hydrophilic coatings for medical devices, particularly catheters and guidewires—competing with Applied Plastics in the lubricious medical coatings market.
- Confluent Medical Technologies: Confluent Medical (formerly NDC) is a contract manufacturer specializing in Nitinol components, catheters, and coated medical device components—directly comparable to Applied Plastics as a medtech component specialist.
Broad incumbents
- DSM Biomedical: DSM Biomedical (part of dsm-firmenich) is a large diversified supplier of biomedical materials and coatings, including lubricious and drug-delivery coatings for medical devices—broader portfolio but overlapping application space.
- Integer Holdings: Integer Holdings is a major medical device contract manufacturer offering coated components, catheter assemblies, and other medtech manufacturing services—competing for similar OEM outsourced coating and component volumes.
- Teleflex Medical OEM: Teleflex's Medical OEM division offers coated wire, hypotubes, and catheter components to third-party medical device OEMs—competing with Applied Plastics in coated wire and component supply.
- Nordson MEDICAL: Nordson MEDICAL (formerly Vention Medical) is a large medical device component and tubing manufacturer offering coated products and catheter components to OEMs—broader portfolio but overlapping in coated catheter components.
Emerging players
- Machine Solutions (Integer): Machine Solutions, now part of Integer Holdings, provides catheter manufacturing equipment, coating processes, and components—adjacent in catheter coating technology and customer base.
Regional players
- Freudenberg Medical: Freudenberg Medical is a global medical device manufacturer offering coated components, hypotubes, and catheter assemblies—overlapping with Applied Plastics' coated catheter component offerings, particularly in Europe.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Applied Plastics social profiles
Digital presenceApplied Plastics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Applied Plastics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Applied Plastics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Applied Plastics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Applied Plastics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Applied Plastics
What does Applied Plastics do?
Applied Plastics manufactures and sells PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) coated medical device components—primarily mandrels, pull wires, guidewires, and hypotubes—for use in advanced catheter systems. The company also offers custom coating services, including an Express Coat Program with 5-day turnaround for R&D prototypes, applying its proprietary PTFE Natural® coating family to customer-supplied substrates across materials such as stainless steel, Nitinol, titanium, and aluminum.
Is Applied Plastics a public or private company?
Applied Plastics is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Applied Plastics founded?
Applied Plastics was founded in 1953. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Applied Plastics based?
Applied Plastics is headquartered in Norwood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Applied Plastics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Coated Components Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Coating Services and PTFE Coating on Various Materials.
Who are Applied Plastics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Harland Medical Systems, Surmodics, Biocoat and Confluent Medical Technologies. Broad incumbents are DSM Biomedical, Integer Holdings, Teleflex Medical OEM and Nordson MEDICAL. Machine Solutions (Integer) is listed as an emerging player. Freudenberg Medical is listed as a regional player.
Does Applied Plastics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Applied Plastics.
What industry is Applied Plastics in?
Applied Plastics's product category is Medical Device Component Coatings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEANAH, Fluoropolymers (PTFE, PVDF, FEP, ETFE). Its NAICS code is 3261 and its SIC code is 3470.