Eldon James
Delivering PVC-Free Medical Devices For a Safer Future

It is proven that PVC is harmful to humans and can inadvertently result in the most dangerous man-made carcinogens, which will remain in the environment for a long period. It can also affect the endocrine system, lead to ADHD, and reduce sperm count especially when babies are exposed. As such, there is an increasing need and demand for PVC free medical devices. For 33 years and counting, Eldon James—a woman-owned and U.S based manufacturing company that delivers PVC free tubing, fittings, and quick disconnects—has been answering the call. “We manufacture over 6000 different ways to connect tubing and 18 PVC-Free tubing alternatives. We’ve differentiated ourselves by offering PVC alternatives, not only providing safer plastics to our customers but also meeting sustainability initiatives that hospitals and manufacturers are trying to embrace,” says Marcia Coulson, President of Eldon James.

Each of their offerings is made with precision to ensure they meet the sterilization, shore hardness, and clarity standards that their clients need while also focusing on the patient’s health and safety. Eldon James works proactively with clinical specialists to ensure that there is a continuous quality improvement that is incorporated into all of their processes. After witnessing the price fluctuations in the market due to the shortage of silicone raw materials, Eldon James has embraced the paradigm shift of using TPEs in their tubing. These materials have similar properties compared to silicone but are easier to work with and are less expensive.

Additionally, the company eliminates the need for adhesives and solvents that were traditionally used to connect fittings to tubing, which has been replaced with mechanical barbed fittings that can achieve the same pressure and pull-off requirements. Coulson exemplifies the ingenuity of using a mechanical barbed fitting instead of adhesives by citing an instance where a client approached them for a solution to reduce the manufacturing time and cost for a custom-designed medical assembly. After reviewing several options, the design team at Eldon James realized that standard, single-barbed luer fittings would meet or exceed the requirements established for bonded (glue-in) fittings. To maintain the aesthetic integrity of the assembly, the customer required that no additional clamps or fastening devices would be used to secure the connection.

These single-barbed fittings consistently exceeded the specification requirements established for bonded fittings, without any sacrifice in performance.

In another instance, a customer approached Eldon James for a peristaltic pump tubing that needed to withstand very high RPM’s intermittently. Eldon James, Flexelene 135C has been the best-selling pump tubing for a wide range of pump applications. This product was introduced 13 years ago, and we were curious to see if a better material had been introduced to the market. We reached out to all our material suppliers and selected 25 new materials for evaluation. Eldon James extruded 25 samples for the customer to evaluate. After evaluations, the customer found Flexelene 135C to still be the best pump tubing available.

We’ve differentiated ourselves by offering PVC alternatives, not only providing safer plastics to our customers but also meeting sustainability initiatives that hospitals and manufacturers are trying to embrace

With a 73,000 square foot facility built at Denver, Colorado, Eldon James provides contract manufacturing to other companies that are looking to have their PVC free assemblies manufactured within the country. The company’s centralized location has given it easy access to the coasts on either side for product distribution. The products are distributed through the well-connected network of distributors and representatives that help Eldon James widen its customer reach. Customers can come to audit the facilities and validate tubing, fittings, quick disconnects and assemblies all made within Class VII cleanrooms. Typically,customers would need to travel to 4 different locations to source these products from the manufacturers. Eldon James ensures the entire process is carried out efficiently while maintaining the higher standard of quality that the medical industry aspires to.

Eldon James’ current and upcoming offerings have created waves in the medical device and single-use assembly manufacturing industry by embracing and leading the charge to create a safer plastics future. The company is currently working on making their products from bio-degradable materials so that single-use products can biodegrade quickly and not stay in a landfill for 20 years to degrade. They are also planning to increase their reach into European markets and are currently planning to open a warehouse distribution center complete with a class VII clean room in the Netherlands.