Get to know the US’s largest producer of miniature stainless steel tubing for medical, aerospace, automotive, and industrial manufacturers.
Tubing You Can Trust Since 1974
Fifty years of dedication to expertise, efficiency, and quality has brought us from one man’s experimental machine shop to a leading stock and custom tubing manufacturer with an annual capacity of over 100 million feet of tubing.
Expertise
Better tubing solutions through collaborative R&D, inventive problem-solving, and rigorous quality assurance.
Quality
Trustworthy processes and products, end to end, through traceable materials and consistent fabrication.
Efficiency
Short lead times for low and high-volume orders through single-source materials, responsive support, and customer-first service.
Turning Engineering Challenges into Breakthrough Solutions
Over time we kept seeing the same thing: engineers would come to us with just a rough idea—a new device or prototype that was still taking shape. They knew what the tubing needed to do but weren’t always sure about the exact size, finish, or material to make it work.
Instead of simply selling standard tubing, we rolled up our sleeves and worked alongside them—testing, experimenting, and figuring it out together. That spirit of collaboration grew into K-Tube Discover. It’s a way for engineers and our team to quickly turn an idea into a working prototype, fine-tune the design, and move confidently into production.
Discover has since become part of who we are. It reflects the way we’ve always worked: partnering closely with engineers to solve problems and bring new ideas to life.
The Origin of K-Tube: Where Innovation Meets Purpose
How a Patient and a Machinist Revolutionized Medical Tubing
Brian Baldwin, an entrepreneur with an eye on the needle market, and Herb Karlinski, a gifted machinist whose kidney condition sparked a deep interest in medical technology, joined forces to create what’s now known as K-Tube.
After moving to San Diego for his health, Herb’s experience as a patient—and his growing focus on needle manufacturing—led him to develop a new way to rapidly produce high-quality steel tubing for hypodermic needle cannulas.
Together, Brian and Herb founded K-Tube to bring that fabrication method to the medical technology world.
Fifty years later, K-Tube continues to lead the way in precision tubing manufacturers. Behind every tube is a team that takes the work personally—long-tenured craftsmen and problem-solvers, including multiple employees with more than 30 years of experience.
Fifty Years of Industrial Tube Manufacturing: The History of K-Tube
Click on the timeline below to download a PDF and learn about some other major events in our history.
High Standards for Product Quality and Sustainability
K-tube’s FDA registration, compliance with ASTM standards, ISO certification, and adherence to other international standards ensures that our tubing solutions meet consistent standards of quality, ethical production, and sustainability.