Our People

Tim Steele founded MicroSpec in 1989 to extrude custom medical tubing that challenges the capabilities of other extrusion companies. “You have to be a visionary,” he explains. “The best extrusion technicians can see in four dimensions. MicroSpec is tenacious when we’re extruding challenging products.”

Over the years, resins, technology and processes have evolved. MicroSpec has stayed ahead in part because research, engineering, machining and manufacturing have all remained in-house. “We don’t go outside for our proprietary tooling or processes, so we’re more flexible and we have more control,” Tim says. “We’re proud of what we do, we’re committed to the customer and we enjoy the challenge of taking on jobs other people won’t. If anyone can do it, MicroSpec can.”

After graduating from Lehigh University with a degree in history, Tim went on to graduate school. He began working part-time at Teleflex running a Teflon extruder and quickly became technical supervisor. After a successful career there, he founded MicroSpec.

Tim credits two things for his success. The first is practical as well as theoretical knowledge of extrusion. “I began by learning the nuts and bolts of extrusion,” he says. He holds a patent for producing steerable coated guidewires and was one of the first to experiment with bump and PICC tubing. In 1999 and 2000 he designed the first 1.9 Fr pediatric bump tubes, now a world standard.

The second is the values he learned as a championship distance runner. He was Lehigh University’s first All-American distance runner and was invited to the 1976 trials for the U.S. Olympic team before an injury forced him to withdraw. In 2008 he was inducted into Lehigh’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Tim leads a research staff that combines decades of technical knowledge with the ability to see new relationships between materials, processes and tooling. His research philosophy is simple: “You can’t be afraid to try new things. You have to be fearless or you miss your opportunity.”

Tim serves on the boards of nonprofits including the New Hampshire Dance Institute, and works with local schools to promote experiential learning. “You have to share your expertise,” he says. “There is still so much to do.”