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The Design step

The Design step holds everything about the shaft as a whole. The three groups below (general properties, section lengths, and pullwire settings) all live on this one step, laid out in two columns.

General Properties​

  • Load Config from File: Loads a previously saved catheter design from a configuration file. This bypasses the setup wizard and immediately jumps to the Review and Build step. Also accessible via File > Load Config.
  • Catheter name: Assign a unique, descriptive name for your catheter design. This name will be automatically used in generated reports and assigned to exported images and data logs.
  • Design mode: Selects how the catheter layers will be constructed for each section.
    • Fixed ID: Keeps the Inner Diameter (ID) of the catheter (mandrel) constant and adjusts the Outer Diameter (OD) based on the configured layer stackup. Set the Inner (mandrel) diameter in the input field below.
    • Fixed OD: Keeps the Outer Diameter (OD) of the catheter constant and adjusts the Inner Diameter (ID) based on the configured layer stackup. Set the Outer diameter in the input field below.
    • Fixed OD and Fixed ID: Keeps both the Outer Diameter (OD) and the Inner Diameter (ID) of the catheter constant. In this mode, the user selects one layer in the stack, the jacket by default, to adjust its thickness to meet the target ID and OD. Set the ID and OD in the input fields below.
    • Multi-Lumen Core: Builds the catheter inside-out on a shaped multi-lumen extruded core (double-D, satellites, crescent, ...). Adds a Core Profile step to the wizard, which owns the inner geometry; see Multi-Lumen Core.

Section Lengths​

  • Label: Provide a descriptive name for the section (e.g., "Distal Tip"). This name identifies the section in reports, data readouts, and exported log files.
  • Length: Specify the length of this catheter section.
  • Color: Choose a distinct color to help identify this section in the 3D viewer. Click the color swatch to open the selection dialog.
  • Section Controls: Use the Up/Down arrows to reorder sections.
  • Create New Section: Press the Green Plus button to generate a new section proximal to the selected section.
  • Delete Section: Press the Red X button to delete the selected section.

Color bar preview: A horizontal color bar at the top of the panel auto-updates to reflect the relative lengths of your sections as you edit them. Section 1 (the proximal end) is on the left; the distal tip is on the right.

Section-length constraints:

  • Minimum section length: 2 mm (0.12 in).
  • Maximum cumulative catheter length: 1500 mm (59 in).

Pullwire Settings​

  • Pullwire arrangement:
    • None: Not steerable.
    • Single Pullwire: Simulates a catheter with one pullwire, typically for uni-directional deflection.
    • Two Pullwires: Simulates a catheter with two pullwires, oriented 180 degrees apart relative to each other.
    • Four Pullwires: Simulates a catheter with four pullwires, oriented 90 degrees apart relative to each other, allowing for bi-directional steering.
  • Pullwire Anchoring: Defines the catheter section after which (distal) the pullwires are anchored.
  • Pullwire shape: Select the pullwire wire cross-section (Round or Flat).
  • Pullwire Diameter / Thickness × Width: The wire's cross-section dimensions: diameter for a round wire, thickness × width for a flat wire. Together with the pullwire material, this sets the wire's physical stretch stiffness.
  • Pullwire material: The wire's material, which supplies the Young's modulus for the stretch stiffness. Defaults to 304V (Spring Temper). Like the braid and coil wire dropdowns, this list shows metals only until you pick More materials… at the bottom. Lumen liners are configured and previewed per section on the Construction pages.

On multi-lumen core designs, the core's shape and its rotation relative to the pullwire layout are set on the Core Profile step. Pullwires are never routed through the core; they run in the wall stack above it, and the wizard keeps the pullwire offset clear of the core OD automatically. See Multi-Lumen Core.