Freelin-Wade is a plastic tubing manufacturer located in McMinnville, OR. Started behind the idea to “Find a need and fill it”, Freelin-Wade has set the standards for making plastic tubing what it is today. Founder Fred Plews designed a special polyurethane tube for the dental industry and soon discovered that it not only worked great in dental equipment but in many applications for virtually every industry. Freelin-Wade was acquired by Coilhose Pneumatics of East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1990. Freelin-Wade has established over 4,000 stock items both online and in the current catalog, Freelin-Wade continues to hold the same vision of filling customer’s needs with a large inventory, rapid turnaround of variations and high class customer service. Freelin-Wade employs more than 100 people and continues to grow among the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley in the middle of the regions famous pinot noir wine country.

Custom Tubing

Freelin-Wade has more than 4,000 stock items and a growing catalog and online inventory. Nearly all of the plastic tubing produced by Freelin-Wade is available to ship the same day it is ordered – with an emphasis that the tubing fits and arrives on time! This concept is one of the reasons Freelin-Wade is so easy to do business with. Based on the original concept of “Finding a need and filling it” Freelin-Wade prides itself in boasting that it is a favorite supplier for plastic tubing variations. Everyday requests are made for products not specific to catalog items, Freelin-Wade is happy to say, “Yes! We can do that.”

Coiled Tubing & Hoses

What is the difference between coiled tubing and hoses, you ask? At Freelin-Wade, the difference is simply the presence of reinforcements. More often than not reinforcements are from braided threads embedded inside the walls of the hoses. Hoses can also be reinforced other ways, such as in the corrugated and asepsis hoses. Also, the famous Flexeel® brand hoses, Freelin-Wade offers varieties of coiled and non-coil tubing and flexible hoses.

The polyurethane Flexcoil® is the original tangle free coiled hose. With a reusable fitting and the option to have strain relief, the Fre-Thane® coils are similar to Flexcoil® but without the fittings. Nylon11 coils in mini size, single tube and twin tube is also always in stock. And as in other tubing, Freelin-Wade has coiling variations to consider for almost all of the applications. Freelin-Wade has developed their own coiling technology that enables the company to position tails in any direction at any length. The right tails mean that the coiled tubing and hoses are easier to use, which causes less fatigue and saves on wear-and-tear of your tools. The Freelin-Wade team of engineers is happy to work with specific needs and design the perfect custom coiled tubing or flexible hose for your needs.  Most of Freelin-Wade’s tubing can be made into coils. Just ask!

Nylon Tubing

Nylon, noted as the “miracle fiber” was invented by scientists at DuPont in 1931. Like other polymers, its first major commercialization was based on textiles, specifically what is known today as stockings. DuPont never registered the trademark for nylon with hopes that the two would become synonymous.

 With five main classes of nylon 6/6, Nylon 6/12, Nylon 11, and Nylon 12, Freelin-Wade chose Nylon 11 for their extruded tubing because it has a high chemical resistance while absorbing less moisture than other nylons. Nylon 11 is also much less rigid than the “6-formulas” of the resin and allows for a lighter weight tubing wall. It has greater flexibility and smaller bending radius.

LLDPE Polyethylene Tubing

PE-2000® LLDPE polyethylene tubing has superior environmental stress crack resistance (ESCR). This is a greater advantage over the low density polyethylene tubing. PE-2000® LLDPE can withstand 500 hours exposure, aging and ultraviolet light, connection to barb-type fittings, or high vibration connections with compression fittings. The PE-2000® LLDPE complies with FED regulations 21 CFR 177.1520 © for food applications in all colors except red. PE-2000® LLDPE also has greater tensile strength, higher burst pressure, is puncture resistant and impermeable to gasses and moisture.

Polyurethane Tubing (Fre-thane® Tubing)

Polyurethane was invented in 1937 by Freidrich Bayer, a German chemist. The first fibers named Perion U, gained popularity during World War II as a replacement for rubber. It was first used as a thread to make lightweight, stretchable fabric, known as spandex. Polyurethane is comprised of two basic materials, isocyanate and polyol.  Since Bayer’s invention, polyurethane polymers have improved with various enhancements to its qualities and have been made more resistant to heat. Polyurethane has two commonly found classes on the market, ether-base and ester base. Chemically they are made up from two different polyol alcohols that cause similar, yet different reactions in the isocyanate. The ester-based polymer is less expensive; however it degrades when exposed to moisture. For this reason, Freelin-Wade has opted to manufacture Fre-Thane® polyurethane tubing using the ether-based material. This type of tubing reduces the chances of deterioration due to contamination or brittleness.

Fre-Thane® has a high resistance to abrasion – yet it is highly flexible and kink resistant. Its most notable quality is its memory response. Fre-Thane® can stretch and flex but it will always return to its original shape. Freelin-Wade began manufacturing polyurethane and urethane tubing in 1980. This remains the core product at Freelin-Wade with over 28 in-stock colors and a virtually infinite number of color variations. Fre-Thane is the most versatile product at Freelin-Wade with more options and variations available than any other tubing product. Besides being extremely flexible, memory respondent, kink and abrasion resistant, Fre-Thane also has low gas permeability, extractable and is compression set. It is also resistant to chemicals, water, fuel, oil and fungus. It is also available in transparent and opaque colors.

PVC Tubing (Vinyl Tubing)

Poly-vinyl Chloride (PVC) is possibly the most versatile product from the chemical industry. It’s widely used in construction applications from siding to wire insulation to window frames and pipes. This is the ideal clear tubing and when plasticizer is added the compound becomes very flexible.

PVC Tubing (Vinyl Tubing) Advantages

Freelin-Wade’s PVC tubing is lightweight, clear tubing. It has a smooth interior and exterior which prevents sediments accumulation and makes it resistant to bacterial penetration. PVC is widely used in the pharmaceutical, medial, food and beverage industries. Freelin-Wade’s reinforced PVC hose utilizes an open weave inner braid for increased working pressure up to 250 psi. The smooth-bore, full-flow I.D dimensions are sized to fit standard commercial barbed fittings, which is only available in the clear #10 color.

Specialty Plastic Tubing

Freelin-Wade is a one stop shop for any specialty tubing. For needs ranging from high pressure, chemical resistance or something more unique, Freelin-Wade has got you covered. Freelin-Wade manufactures a wide range of plastic tubing including FEP, Kynar®, Weld Spatter Resistant, Static Dissipative, Multi-Bore, and even polypropylene tubing. Freelin-Wade is the leading manufacturer in the industry for the Multi-Color Ribbon Tubing (MCR). Also, the FEP, one of the more popular specialty tubes, is a great Teflon® tubing alternative. Available in plastic ribbon, braided hoses, and reinforced hoses.  And if in-stock items or customizable variations still don’t suit your needs, Freelin-Wade engineers are capable of creating the exact tubing you desire.

Plastic Tubing Accessories

Freelin-Wade continues to offer a wide range of options not just tubing related. An expanding line of accessories including hose cutters, tubing gauges, maker clips are also available. Freelin-Wade has everything you need to cut, clip or channel your plastic tubing and rubber hoses. Also available are tethers, lanyards and wrist coils, for anything you may need to connect to something else.  New to the accessories line are fittings. Freelin-Wade has a large selection of sizes for easy to use Coillock® Push-To-Connect fittings which are designed to work easily with Polyurethane, Nylon or Polyethylene tubing. These fittings are rated up to 290psi.