Nitinol Manufacturer
AMC is a custom manufacturer of nitinol wire, nitinol tubing and nitinol forming. Our components are used in nitinol needles, nitinol guidewires, and additional nitinol medical devices. Nitinol is a nickel-titanium alloy differentiated by its shape memory and superelastic characteristics. Nitinol is a trade name taken from the elements it's composed of—nickel (Ni) and titanium (Ti)—and the scientific group that discovered it—the Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL). Some manufacturers will call it NiTi in addition to nitinol.
Nickel Titanium is in the unique class of materials known as shape memory alloys. A thermoelastic martensitic phase transformation in the material is responsible for its extraordinary properties. These properties include the shape memory effect, superelasticity, and high damping capability. The properties of Nitinol can be modified to a great extent by changes in alloy composition, mechanical working, and heat treatment. In most cases a trial and error process is required to optimize these factors for a particular application. Nitinol is perfect for applications where needle flexibility is required. Nitinol is a shape material such that it can be made to hold a new shape if the material is held tightly in a fixture and then heat treated. AMC is capable of making fixtures to set the shape and tight tolerances needed for your application. Different surface finishes can be achieved.
Nitinol Alloy Options
There is not just one type of nitinol. AMC works with a variety of nitinol suppliers. If you have a custom type of nitinol chemistry needed for your product or research product call us today and we will see what we can do.
- Both Superelastic and Shape Memory available
- Transformation Temperatures: Ingot Af (Austenite Finish) from -25 deg.C to 120 deg.C
- Custom Alloy Formulations possible
Nitinol Fabrication
Your custom nitinol components can be machined with coolant or in eltrochemicals and shaped in warm or cold conditions.
- As Cold-Worked
- Straight/Flat Annealed
- Shape Set Annealed
Nitinol Tubing
- OuterDiameter (O.D.) from 0.005" to 0.250" (0.125 to 6.4 mm)
- Wall Thicknesses down to less than 0.002" (0.05 mm) dependent upon O.D. size
- Some of the common nitinol tubing shapes can include: nitinol stents, formed tubing nitinol shapes, beveled needle points, cut length tubes or "blanks", machined nitinol components, laser welded nitinol parts, laser cut nitinol hypotubes.
Nitinol Wire Manufacturing
- Nitinol Wire Sizess: diameters from 0.001" (0.025 mm) to 0.080" (2 mm) and above
- Ribbon and Strip: from 0.001" x 0.002" (0.025 mm x 0.05 mm) to 0.030" x 0.400" (0.75 mm x 10 mm)
- Stranded Wire: many different configurations available
- NiTi AC(tm) Wire: Nitinol filled with alternate materials for conductivity, radiopacity, etc.
- Some of the common wire and ribbon-based components include: tapered tip nitinol guidewires, formed nitinol wire shapes, centerless nitinol grinding, nitinol trocar tips, nitinol rounded tips, laser welded nitinol and electropolished nitinol.
This is not the exact machine and process we use to make nitinol components but it is similar.