Traditionally, high-performance stainless steel alloys have been the material of choice for precision wire form products such as medical devices and aerospace components. For example, medical-grade 304 and aerospace-grade 316/316L stainless steels remain common as premium steel options. Likewise nitinol, due to its unique material advantages, is becoming increasingly popular in many advanced wire forming applications.

In today’s medical manufacturing space, nitinol is now widely used for many medical wire forms. Common applications include re-enforcement braiding and coiling for catheter tubing and shafts, braided and formed stents, formed retrieval baskets, and many other applications. The shape memory makes it an excellent candidate for many in-body applications such as catheter re-enforcement and braided stents.

A specially formulated nickel-titanium alloy, nitinol opens up new avenues of high-performance metal properties for wire form manufacturers like HyTech.

The Material Advantages of Nitinol Wire:

The main material advantage of nitinol wire is shape memory. It’s extremely effective for creating complex shapes that fit different body parts and facilitate difficult surgical operations.

For example, orthodontic braces can be heated and reshaped multiple times without damaging the wire. It also allows medical devices to be deployed in hard-to-access areas (like inside blood vessels) and then temperature-activated to achieve a functional shape.

• Excellent Shape Memory – Like all metals, nitinol changes shape based on temperature. However, after deformation, nitinol returns to its pre-formed shape with minimal variance. That’s a prerequisite for many precision medical components, especially implants and in-body devices that change shape during installation and use.
• Fatigue Resistance – Nitinol wire offers good fatigue resistance, preventing the material from breaking due to repeated use – likewise crucial for medical implants and related components.
• Corrosion Resistance – Nitinol wire is more durable than titanium or stainless steel alloys, allowing it to withstand more demanding or long-term use in medical applications, as well as extreme temperatures in aerospace use.
• Electrical Conductivity – Its electrical conductivity properties make nitinol wire suitable for use in pacemakers and other implantable electronic medical devices.
• High Tensile Strength – Nitinol wire is solid and durable, even when subjected to repeated deformation and heating cycles. That’s a major advantage in high-performance aerospace applications, as well as in specialized medical use cases.
• Superelasticity – Nitinol wire is superelastic, meaning it exhibits constant unloading stresses over large strains.

The Medical Advantages of Nitinol Wire Forms:

• Biocompatibility – The material’s biocompatibility means that nitinol is safe to use in the human body for implants and various patient care procedures.
• Reduced Weight – Nitinol is lighter than many conventional metals, which is critical for aerospace applications where weight reduction directly impacts fuel efficiency and maneuverability.
• High Strength-to-Weight Ratio – A combination of strength and lightness supports precision and durability in high-performance applications. In medical devices, this ratio ensures stability without adding unnecessary bulk, which is critical for minimally invasive procedures.
• Radiopacity – Nitinol is visible under imaging techniques like X-rays, which helps with positioning and monitoring during medical procedures. This feature is beneficial in medical implants and guides where accurate positioning is essential.

Manufacturing High-Precision Wireforms Since 1984

HyTech Spring & Machine is backed by more than 40 years of service as one of the industry’s leading wire forming companies. We ensure superior quality and precision with every custom formed wire product, regardless of industry or application.