COMPANY PROFILE / FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
Confluent Medical Technologies
— An unlisted contract manufacturer that supplies nitinol tube and wire, and the parts made from them, to medical-device makers
Confluent Medical Technologies (Confluent) is a U.S.-based contract manufacturer that makes nitinol (nickel-titanium) material, as tube and wire, and parts laser-processed from it for medical-device makers. It also makes catheters, balloons, polymer tubing and implantable textiles, but this profile is limited to nitinol, the functional-materials part. The company is unlisted and does not publish its sales. From its official site and press releases and from the U.S. SEC filing of its partner ATI, we set out what is known and what is not. We give no medical advice.
- Confluent at a glance, and its place in functional materials
- Logo and naming
- Where the company sits in functional materials
- Company scale
- Resources committed to functional materials
- Track record
- Plans
- What the company appears to be aiming for
- Partnership map
- Technologies and products
- Risks
- Glossary / References / Claim-to-source audit
1. Confluent at a glance, and its place in functional materials
TPG Capital holds a majorityAnnounced January 2022; Ampersand Capital keeps a substantial minority stake
Materials (secondary)Contract manufacture of nitinol tube, wire and parts
Superelasticity and shape memoryFor catheter-based and other medical devices
Costa Rica, India and othersTube at Fremont; wire at a dedicated plant in India (2026)
Confluent is neither a “materials maker” nor a “medical-device maker.” It is a contract manufacturer that makes materials and parts at the request of medical-device makers (OEMs) Sourced. In nitinol it handles both tube and wire as material and parts that are laser-cut, heat-treated and polished, and it has a partnership under which it supplies material from ATI, which does the melting Sourced. In this series it therefore sits between a materials maker such as Furukawa Techno Material and the makers of finished parts. This profile explains the material and the company; it is not advice about any specific medical device or treatment.
2. Logo and naming
A note on naming: the company is Confluent Medical Technologies (Confluent for short). It was renamed in 2016 from Nitinol Devices & Components (NDC). NDC was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1999 and spun off in 2008, according to the company’s history. ATI, the U.S. specialty-alloy company that does the nitinol melting, appears in this profile and is a separate legal entity.
Official site: https://confluentmedical.com/3. Where the company sits in functional materials
Confluent is mainly a components-and-devices maker (contract manufacturer), but because it also makes nitinol tube and wire, it has a foot in materials as well Our calculation. The company describes itself as a medical-device and materials-science contract manufacturer and promotes a “vertically integrated, U.S.-based nitinol supply chain” Sourced. In the field that our explainer “Shape memory alloys” describes from the principles side, Confluent takes on everything from material to part.
4. Company scale
Because the company is unlisted, no sales or profit figures are published. The figures it does publish are below Sourced.
| Item | Detail | Type of source |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | More than 2,000 (About Us). The home page shows more than 200 engineers | Company statement |
| Sites | Eight sites in the U.S., Costa Rica and India (About Us). A press-release list names Fremont and Orange County in California; Warwick, Rhode Island; Windham, Maine; Austin, Texas; Chattanooga, Tennessee; San Jose, Costa Rica (the plant is in Alajuela); and Hyderabad, India | Company statement |
| Manufacturing area | Over 400,000 sq. ft. (home page) | Company statement |
| Ownership | TPG Capital holds a majority (announced January 2022). Ampersand Capital Partners keeps a substantial minority stake. A September 2024 press release also refers to TPG’s 2022 investment | Company press releases |
| Sales and profit | Not disclosed | — |
| Quality | ISO 13485 certified, FDA registered (company statement), MDSAP certificates (company statement), ISO 8 cleanroom | Company statement |
The company describes itself as the “highest-volume supplier of nitinol materials for the medical device industry,” a “market leader” and the maker of the “world’s purest nitinol” Sourced. These are the company’s own words, and no statistics or test conditions are given for the rank or the purity. We do not adopt them Not yet confirmed. A company press release also says that nitinol demand is growing at an 18% compound annual rate, but gives no source; because it resembles a market-research estimate, we do not adopt that figure.
5. Resources committed to functional materials
| Type of resource | What the sources show | Status |
|---|---|---|
| People | More than 2,000 employees and more than 200 engineers (home page). Tom Testa became chief operating officer (COO) effective 29 April 2026. A one-day nitinol training course, “Nitinol University,” is held twice a year in Fremont | Sourced |
| Money (investment) | More than US$50 million invested over several years in ATI’s nitinol melt and conversion infrastructure (announced January 2024). A 66,000 sq. ft. building added at the Costa Rica site (August 2022). A dedicated nitinol wire plant in India of 26,000 sq. ft. (announced May 2026). Total capital expenditure and R&D are not disclosed | Sourced; totals not disclosed |
| Investments, acquisitions, joint ventures | Acquisitions: Interface Catheters (2015), ETE Medical (2017, biomedical textiles), Corpus Medical (2018) and Tube Hollows International (2019, to vertically integrate nitinol tube). Investment: capital for ATI (2024). Investment in Confluent: TPG (2022). Johnson & Johnson acquired its predecessor NDC in 1999 and spun it off in 2008 | Sourced |
| Universities, research institutes, public funding | Not confirmed. We found no university joint research or public grants (“Nitinol University” is training run by the company, not joint research) | Not confirmed |
Status of main products and facilities
| Product | Plant / facility | Scale | Stage | Date and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitinol tube | Nitinol Tubing Center of Excellence, Fremont, California | Outer diameter 0.5 to 10 mm (manufacturer’s stated values). Output not disclosed | Operating | References 3, 5 https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-material/ https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-nitinol-wire-center-of-excellence/ |
| Nitinol wire | Dedicated plant in Hyderabad, India; described as ISO 13485 compliant | 26,000 sq. ft. The company says wire output doubles. Wire diameters of 0.004 to 0.100 inch with a 4-week lead time (manufacturer’s stated values) | Opened (announced May 2026) | Reference 5 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-nitinol-wire-center-of-excellence/ |
| Nitinol parts and catheters | Plant in Alajuela, Costa Rica | 66,000 sq. ft. added. Capacity not disclosed | Expansion opened (August 2022) | Reference 9 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-grand-opening-of-costa-rica-expansion/ |
| Nitinol melting (ATI’s side) | ATI’s facilities (location not confirmed in this profile) | ATI states it expects to more than triple its nitinol production by fiscal 2027 | Plan or under construction (Not yet confirmed) | References 6, 7 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-announces-significant-investment-in-ati-nitinol-melt-expansion/ https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018963/000119312524080441/d927640dars.pdf |
6. Track record
| When | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Nitinol Devices & Components (NDC) founded | An early maker of medical nitinol parts |
| 1999, 2008 | Acquired by Johnson & Johnson (1999), later spun off (2008) | Independence after a stint under a large medical-device group |
| 2010 | Began nitinol manufacturing in Costa Rica | The start of its overseas base |
| 2015 to 2018 | Acquired Interface Catheters, ETE Medical and Corpus Medical. Renamed Confluent in 2016 | Broadened from nitinol parts into catheters, balloons and textiles |
| 2019 | Acquired Tube Hollows International | To vertically integrate the nitinol tube supply chain (company’s explanation) |
| 2020 to 2023 | Catheter development center in Austin, Texas (2020), polymer tubing center in Chattanooga, Tennessee (2021), entry into Hyderabad, India (2023) | Expanded beyond nitinol and added wire capacity |
| January 2022 | TPG Capital announced a majority investment | A change in ownership structure |
| January 2024 | Announced an investment of more than US$50 million in ATI’s nitinol melt expansion and became ATI’s “fulfillment partner” for medical nitinol | A move to secure melt supply |
| May 2026 | Announced the “Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence” in Hyderabad. Fremont now concentrates on tube | Separation of wire and tube production sites |
7. Plans
by fiscal 2027 (ATI’s expectation)Confluent invests more than US$50 million over several years
All of these are plans of the company or its partner, or the company’s stated values, not achieved results Not yet confirmed. The company stresses “continued investment in a resilient, vertically integrated nitinol supply chain” and suggests that growth in medical-device markets will push demand up (we do not adopt the growth rate, because no source is given).
None of the following appears in the primary sources we reviewed Not yet confirmed.
Sales and profit / nitinol production capacity (tube or wire) / customer names (likely undisclosed under contract) / total capital expenditure and R&D / the location and latest schedule of ATI’s facilities / university joint research.
8. What the company appears to be aiming for
This section includes points the company does not state directly. They are inferences from the primary sources, shown with their basis.
| What can be read | Primary-source basis | Status |
|---|---|---|
| It puts stable nitinol supply at the center of the value it offers customers | The acquisition of a tube maker (2019), the investment in ATI (2024) and the dedicated wire plant (2026) are all described in terms of a “vertically integrated supply chain” | Sourced |
| It chose to use ATI’s facilities rather than own a melting operation | The investment goes into ATI’s facilities, and nothing says Confluent will build melting equipment of its own | Inference |
| It aims to scale by separating wire and tube sites | The company says it moves wire to a dedicated plant in India and lets Fremont concentrate on tube; wire output doubles | Inference |
| The main focus is medical devices; uses in other fields do not appear | The official site’s descriptions of applications center on medical devices | Sourced (other fields not confirmed either way) |
The January 2024 partnership with ATI shows that Confluent is the party investing in ATI’s facilities, not the party building its own melting plant Sourced. ATI’s report (filed with the U.S. SEC) says Confluent will invest US$50 million and that ATI expects to more than triple its nitinol production by fiscal 2027. We found no statement that Confluent itself melts the nitinol that becomes its tube and wire. From this we read a division of labor in which melting is left to a specialist, while Confluent concentrates on converting to tube and wire and on making parts. However, the company’s word “vertically integrated” and a structure that relies on another company for melting appear to sit in tension. The company does not explain this, so it remains an inference Not yet confirmed.
9. Partnership map
10. Technologies and products
The summary below follows the company’s official site (figures are manufacturer’s stated values) Sourced.
| Area | What the official site says |
|---|---|
| Nitinol tube | Outer diameter 0.5 mm (0.020 in) to 10 mm (0.400 in). Gun drilling is done in house to control wall thickness and tolerance. Grades SE508 and SE508 ELI (described by the company as a high-purity grade). Available from stock or made to order |
| Nitinol wire | Diameters from 0.025 mm (0.001 in). Surface finish selectable as bright, ground or oxide. Grades SE510, SE508 and SE508 ELI. At the Indian plant opened in 2026: diameters of 0.004 to 0.100 in, tolerances down to ±0.0002 in, and a 4-week lead time (manufacturer’s stated values) |
| Nitinol parts | Wire forming and braiding; laser cutting and welding (fiber and ultrafast lasers); grinding; heat treatment and shape setting; microblasting; electropolishing and etching; passivation (the company states conformity to ASTM F86 and A967); attachment of radiopaque markers. Prototypes in 1 to 2 weeks, depending on raw-material availability |
| Design and testing | Finite element analysis (FEA) simulation of durability, fatigue, crimp strain, radial force and shape setting. A menu of tests: tensile, radial force, torsion, fatigue, kink, electrochemical corrosion, metal-ion release, hydrogen content and transformation temperature (DSC and BFR methods). For each test the company names an ASTM standard; this profile does not go into the content of the standards |
| Beyond nitinol | Catheters (balloon and complex), polymer tubing (such as Filmcast PTFE), stent coverings and biomedical textiles. Outside the scope of this profile |
The company’s page shows side-by-side microstructure images of the standard medical grade SE508 and the high-purity grade SE508 ELI, and says both conform to ASTM F2063 Sourced. The ELI grade is presented for high-fatigue uses and small-feature parts (the company’s description). We read this as a distinction in line with the materials-side view that the amount and distribution of inclusions (oxides and carbides) affect fatigue behavior in nitinol; the company does not state this explicitly, so it is our inference. For inclusions and fatigue, see our explainer “Shape memory alloys” and our Furukawa Techno Material profile.
Nitinol is also a material whose performance is settled by downstream steps, not at purchase. The company’s service list includes shape setting by heat treatment after laser cutting, surface finishing by electropolishing and passivation, metal-ion release and corrosion tests, and hydrogen analysis. These are control items that tie material properties, such as transformation temperature (Af), the surface oxide film and nickel release, to product reliability. They are facts about the test menu the company lists, not claims that any product is safe or superior.
11. Risks
| Risk | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hard to verify from outside | Sales, profit, capacity and customers are not published, so there is no way for outsiders to check the size or direction of the business | Sourced |
| Melt supply depends on a partner | Nitinol melting appears to rely mainly on ATI’s facilities. ATI’s expansion is expected to be complete by fiscal 2027, and a delay would affect the supply outlook | Inference |
| Customer demand and specification changes | Its products depend on medical-device makers’ development and adoption decisions. The company has said that new products are entering production, but it does not disclose individual customers or products | Inference |
| Private-equity ownership | A private-equity fund (TPG) holds the majority. Financial details are not disclosed, and future changes in ownership cannot be foreseen from the primary sources | Sourced; outlook is an inference |
| Quality demands of medical uses | The company lists ISO 13485, FDA registration and similar credentials, so quality is a precondition of the business. This profile says nothing about the safety or efficacy of any individual medical device | Sourced |
| Self-assessments cannot be verified | “Highest-volume supplier,” “market leader” and similar phrases are the company’s own words with no basis shown | Sourced |
12. Glossary
- Nitinol (nickel-titanium)
- An alloy of nickel and titanium in roughly equal proportions that shows shape memory and superelasticity.
- OEM
- Original equipment manufacturer: the maker that owns the final product’s brand. Here, a company that sells medical devices under its own name.
- Contract manufacturing (CDMO)
- A business model in which a company takes on design and manufacture for customers, making materials and parts to the customer’s specification.
- SE508 / SE508 ELI
- Confluent’s nitinol grade names. ELI is described by the company as a high-purity grade; its abbreviation is not expanded on the company’s page.
- Shape setting
- A heat-treatment step that makes nitinol hold a desired shape.
- DSC / BFR
- Test methods for transformation temperature. DSC is differential scanning calorimetry; BFR is bend and free recovery, in which a bent sample is heated and its recovery observed.
- ISO 13485
- The international standard for quality management systems for medical devices.
- Vertical integration
- Covering several stages of the supply chain, from melting the material to making parts, within one group.
13. References
- Confluent Medical Technologies About Us (history, number of sites and employees). https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Official site home page (business overview, manufacturing area and other figures shown). https://confluentmedical.com/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Nitinol Tubing and Wire (dimensions, grades, surface finishes). https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-material/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Nitinol Components (laser cutting and welding, heat treatment, prototyping, design and testing). https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-products-frames/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Confluent Medical Technologies Announces Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence,” 4 May 2026. https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-nitinol-wire-center-of-excellence/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Confluent Announces Significant Investment in ATI Nitinol Melt Expansion,” 25 January 2024. https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-announces-significant-investment-in-ati-nitinol-melt-expansion/
- ATI Inc. Annual Report to Shareholders (Form ARS), fiscal 2023. The strategic partnership with Confluent and the expectation of expanded nitinol production (filed with the U.S. SEC). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018963/000119312524080441/d927640dars.pdf
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Confluent Medical Announces Significant Strategic Investment From TPG,” 5 January 2022. https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-announces-significant-strategic-investment-from-tpg/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Grand Opening of Costa Rica Expansion,” 18 August 2022. https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-grand-opening-of-costa-rica-expansion/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Dean Schauer Appointed Chairman of the Board,” September 2024, which states that TPG invested in 2022. https://confluentmedical.com/dean-schauer-appointed-chairman-of-the-board-of-confluent-medical-technologies/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Quality Documents (ISO 13485, FDA registration, MDSAP, cleanroom statements). https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/quality-documents/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Management Team. https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/management-team/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Nitinol University (a one-day training course on nitinol). https://confluentmedical.com/tech-center/nitinol-university/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Press release, “Tom Testa Named Chief Operating Officer,” dated 30 April 2026. https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-names-tom-testaas-chief-operating-officer/
- Confluent Medical Technologies Newsroom (list of press releases, 2022 to 2026). https://confluentmedical.com/newsroom/
14. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the text | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| History (1991 founding of NDC, 1999 J&J acquisition, 2008 spin-off, acquisitions from 2015 to 2019, 2016 rename, sites and investments from 2020 to 2024) | Sourced | Reference 1 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/ |
| More than 2,000 employees, eight sites (U.S., Costa Rica, India), manufacturing area, and the engineer count shown | Sourced (company display) | References 1, 2 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/ https://confluentmedical.com/ |
| Nitinol tube and wire dimensions, grades and surface finishes | Sourced (manufacturer’s stated values) | Reference 3 https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-material/ |
| Nitinol part processing (laser, heat treatment, polishing), prototype lead time, design and test menu | Sourced (manufacturer’s stated values) | Reference 4 https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-products-frames/ |
| Nitinol Wire Center of Excellence (Hyderabad, 26,000 sq. ft., wire output doubled, 4-week lead time) | Sourced (company announcement) | Reference 5 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-nitinol-wire-center-of-excellence/ |
| Investment of more than US$50 million in ATI’s melt expansion, and the fulfillment-partner arrangement | Sourced (company announcement) | Reference 6 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-announces-significant-investment-in-ati-nitinol-melt-expansion/ |
| ATI’s report on its partnership with Confluent and its expectation of more than tripling production by fiscal 2027 | Sourced (ATI’s U.S. SEC filing) | Reference 7 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018963/000119312524080441/d927640dars.pdf |
| TPG Capital’s majority investment and Ampersand’s minority stake | Sourced (company announcements) | References 8, 10 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-announces-significant-strategic-investment-from-tpg/ https://confluentmedical.com/dean-schauer-appointed-chairman-of-the-board-of-confluent-medical-technologies/ |
| Expansion of 66,000 sq. ft. at the Costa Rica site (August 2022) | Sourced (company announcement) | Reference 9 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-grand-opening-of-costa-rica-expansion/ |
| ISO 13485, FDA registration, MDSAP and ISO 8 cleanroom statements | Sourced (company statement) | Reference 11 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/quality-documents/ |
| Management team and the COO appointment (April 2026) | Sourced | References 12, 14 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/management-team/ https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-names-tom-testaas-chief-operating-officer/ |
| Content and frequency of Nitinol University | Sourced | Reference 13 https://confluentmedical.com/tech-center/nitinol-university/ |
| List and datelines of press releases | Sourced | Reference 15 https://confluentmedical.com/newsroom/ |
| Confluent’s type (components and devices primary, materials secondary) | Our calculation | Our own classification in this article |
| Sales, profit, nitinol production capacity, customer names and total capital expenditure | Not yet confirmed | Not disclosed or not stated; we do not estimate them. Reference 1 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/ |
| University joint research and public funding | Not yet confirmed | Not confirmed; we do not assert that none exist. Reference 1 https://confluentmedical.com/about-us/ |
| Completion timing of ATI’s expansion and future output in India | Not yet confirmed | Plans of the company and its partner, not achieved results. References 5, 7 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-medical-technologies-announces-nitinol-wire-center-of-excellence/ https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018963/000119312524080441/d927640dars.pdf |
| The phrases “highest-volume supplier,” “market leader” and “world’s purest” | Sourced (company’s words; not adopted because no basis is shown) | References 3, 4 https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-material/ https://confluentmedical.com/capabilities/nitinol-products-frames/ |
| The statement that nitinol demand grows at 18% a year | Sourced (company announcement; not adopted because no source is given) | Reference 6 https://confluentmedical.com/confluent-announces-significant-investment-in-ati-nitinol-melt-expansion/ |
| That it uses ATI’s facilities rather than own a melting operation | Inference | Our own reading of the description of the investment in ATI |
| That it aims to scale by separating wire and tube sites | Inference | Our own reading of the announcement of the Indian plant |
| Dependence on a partner for melt supply, on customer demand, and the uncertainty of outlook under fund ownership | Inference | Our own reading of the partnership structure and ownership structure |
Last updated: 10 October 2026 / Troy Technical
This article rests on Confluent Medical Technologies’ official site and press releases and on ATI Inc.’s filing with the U.S. SEC. The company is unlisted and publishes no sales, profit or other financial information. We use no market-research estimates or press-report figures. Product dimensions and lead times are the company’s stated values, and no comparison with other makers’ products is made. This article is not advice about medical devices or treatment. Passages marked “Inference” are our own reading of the primary sources and are not statements by the company.