Nitinol is a nickel/titanium alloy which can be used in medical and industrial applications. It has shape memory and super-elasticity, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Shape memory alloys undergo a phase transformation, exhibiting hysteresis thereby under certain circumstances the associated shape can be reversed either under temperature or mechanical loading or unloading. In order to improve the resistance to such loadings over temperature ranges for super-elastic systems, they are treated with a cold treatment followed by a low heat treatment.
Nitinol is available for use in wire strips, sheets, tubing and bars. Typical industrial applications include:
- Connectors
- Automotive devices
- Harness and cable
- Robotic actuators
- Couplings
It is frequently used in medical devices such as:
- Surgical instruments
- Orthodontic guidewires
- Needles
- Laparoscopes
- Value frames
- Stents
- Guidewire and catheter shafts
Read our guide to learn more about proper surface preparation for bonding metals.
Consideration for Nitinol
Epoxy and cyanoacrylate adhesives feature excellent bond strength to nitinol. Master Bond two part epoxy systems EP42HT-2Med and EP30Med are frequently recommended for joining nitinol to nitinol and to dissimilar substrates. Thermally stable, sterilization resistant EP42HT-2Med is USP Class VI approved. It contains no solvents, has a Shore D hardness >75 and has outstanding electrical insulation properties. Master Bond EP30Med has a low viscosity, cures at ambient temperatures and offers low shrinkage upon cure. Rapid curing, one component cyanoacrylate adhesive MB297Med requires no mixing and only contact pressure after dispensing to adhere the mating surfaces. This colorless, low viscosity system is biocompatible.
