Nitinol Alloy Products
Flexinol® wire properties:
Flexinol
® to physical function resembles biological muscle; when activated
it contracts. To activate Flexinol
® it is heated above its transition
temperature (typically 70°C). An electric current may be passed through
the wire to heat it electrically. When the material cools it
can be stretched back it its original length.
The contraction movement may be applied to any task requiring
physical movement with low to moderate cycling speeds. The small
size, light weight, ease of use and silent operation allow it
to replace small motors or solenoids.
For
additional information read our online
Nitinol Article.
Flexinol® Wire
We offer Flexinol® wire in a variety of diameters, from .001 to .015.
Flexinol® wire is also is available cut to length and precrimped,
see below. We offer low temperture (LT) activation (contraction)
70° centigrade and high temperature (HT) activation (contraction)
90° centigrade, wires.
Flexinol® is a trade name for shape memory alloy actuator wires. Made of nickel-titanium (Nitinol) these small diameter wires contract (typically 2% to 5% of their length) like muscles when electrically driven or heated. This ability to flex or shorten is a characteristic of certain alloys which, dynamically change their internal structure at certain temperatures.
Flexinol® Wire properties
| Diameter
Size (Inches) |
Resistance
(Ohms/Inch) |
Maximum
Pull Force (grams) |
Approximate*
Current at Room Temperature (mA) |
Contraction*
Time (seconds) |
Off
Time 70° C LT Wire** (seconds) |
Off
Time 90° C HT Wire** (seconds) |
| 0.0010 |
45.0 |
7 |
20 |
1 |
0.10 |
0.06 |
| 0.0015 |
21.0 |
17 |
30 |
1 |
0.25 |
0.09 |
| 0.002 |
12.0 |
35 |
50 |
1 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
| 0.003 |
5.0 |
80 |
100 |
1 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
| 0.004 |
3.0 |
150 |
180 |
1 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
| 0.005 |
1.8 |
230 |
250 |
1 |
1.6 |
0.9 |
| 0.006 |
1.3 |
330 |
400 |
1 |
2.0 |
1.2 |
| 0.008 |
0.8 |
590 |
610 |
1 |
3.5 |
2.2 |
| 0.010 |
0.5 |
930 |
1000 |
1 |
5.5 |
3.5 |
| 0.012 |
0.33 |
1250 |
1750 |
1 |
8.0 |
6.0 |
| 0.015 |
0.2 |
2000 |
2750 |
1 |
13.0 |
10.0 |
*Please note contraction time is directly related to electric current
imposed. The guidelines are only approximations, since other factors like
ambient temperature, air currents, and heat sinking will vary with specific
devices.
** Approximate Cooling Time
Flexinol® Wire Price List (cost per foot)
| Item # Metric |
Item # Standard |
Unit Price |
| Flexinol® 25 LT |
Flexinol® 0.001 |
$8.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 037 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.0015 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 050 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.002 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 075 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.003 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 100 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.004 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 125 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.005 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 150 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.006 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 200 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.008 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 250 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.010 |
$2.50 / ft |
| Flexinol® 300 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.012 |
$5.00 / ft |
| Flexinol® 375 HT/LT |
Flexinol® 0.015 |
$8.50 / ft |
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Flexinol® Wire Precrimped
Ring Terminal
 |
Barrel Crimp
 |
Dimensions
W = .156
L = .375
E = .290
C = .109
Insul. Size = .035 - .065
Stud Size / Diameter = .094
Stock Thk. = .012
Material and Finish = Brass |
Dimensions
W = .078
L = .047
H = .037 |
|
There are two kinds of crimps available: ring terminals
and barrel crimps (see diagram below).
There is a $30.00 setup fee with each crimping
order. When calculating your assembly costs remember
to add the cost of the Nitinol wire used (see
wire price list above).
Note: Crimps cannot be sold as stand alone units.
|
1 - 100 |
101 - 2,500 |
2,501 - 10,000 |
|
$0.75 / each |
$0.25 / each |
$0.20 / each |
Click here to view
an illustration showing the method of measuring,
for ordering, pre-crimped flexinol® wire.
To place an order for pre-crimped Flexinol® wire call 718.966.3694
|
|
Nitinol Heat Engine Kit
Click
on picture to see kit components |
Heat Engine - Nitinol Metal
Engine driven by hot & cold water.
The
Heat Engineis a very special kind of heat engine
that demonstrates the conversion of heat energy
into mechanical energy. Based upon the
work of Dr. Alfred Johnson who was granted a patent on this type of heat engine in 1977 patent # 4,055,955
It uses the unique property of Nitinol alloy to generate mechanical motion from
heat. Nitinol has trained into a shape at high temperature (about 600° C) and allowed
to cool to room temperature, where it can be easily deformed and welded into a loop.
When heated above a transition temperature
(in this application about 50° C to 70° C) the Nitinol object abruptly
returns to its high-temperature shape with
a substantial force that is able to drive
the pulleys and thus create motion.
See the Heat Engine in action!
More Information
Nitinol Heat Engine $49.95
|
|
Biometal Helix
 |
BioMetal Helix Dimensions (.006
x .70) inches. The advantage of the BioMetal Helix
over standard Nitinol wire is that it may be stretched
and contracted to twice its length. In this case
a .75 inch length may be stretch to 1.5 inches.
Weight liftable on recover: 30 grams
Total resistance: 7.5 ohms
Typical activation current at 20°C: 150mA
Typical cycle rate at 20°C: per minute.
See following 118 KB movie.
More Information
Includes one SMA coil spring 20 mm long (in contracted
state), 4 spectacle terminals, 4 eyelet terminals,
instructions.
|
|
Biometal Fiber
More Information
|
BioMetal Fiber Dimensions .15mm x 1 meter (or .006 x 39 inches
english).
The BioMetal Fiber is a fiber-like actuator (drive unit)
designed to contract (tense) and extend (relax) like
muscles. The key feature of this product is its flexible,
smooth movements like those of real life. Although soft
and pliable like a nylon thread under normal conditions,
it becomes stiff like a piano wire and sharply contracts,
when a current is fed through it.
Practical force produed: 150 grams
Total resistance: 61 ohms/ meter
Standard drive voltage (V/M) 20
Typical activation current at 20°C: 340mA
Typical cycle rate at 20°C: per minute.
|
|
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Inch Bot
BioMetal Fiber Walking Robot. This walking robot uss a small length
of BioMetal Fiber. Place the walker on a non-slippery flat surface. Press the switch on the battery case for about 2 seconds to widen the leg angle.
Release the switch to make the legs return to original position. Make the robot move forward by repeatly pressing and releasing the switch.
More Information
Purchase BioMetal Fiber Here
Movie
1 MB (WMV)
BioMetal Fiber Inchworm - $24.95
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Nitinol Expansion Spring
 |
Nitinol Expansion Spring
When cool, spring can be extended to 14 cm (5-1/2").
Heated, contracts to 29 mm (1-1/8") overall.
With 350 gram hanging mass shrinks from 60 mm (2-1/4")
long coil (cool) to 30 mm (1-1/8") long (heated)
with 2 Amps. 6 mm (1/4") coil, 750 µm (.03")
wire, activates at 45-55° C equivalent to (131-149°
F). Use several in series
for greater distance, or in parallel for greater
force.
|
|
Nitinol Compresion Spring
 |
Compression Spring When cool,
can be pressed down to 16 mm
( 5/8" ). Heated with 3 Amps, it extends to 30
mm (1-1/4") with over 4 Newton's of force! 8 mm
(5/16") coil, 950 µm (.04") wire, activates at
55-65° C equivalent to (131-149° F).
|
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Biometal Silent Arm
 |
BioMetal Silent Arm Demo. For more information download the Silent Arm PDF Manual (20K)
|
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Flexinol® Butterfly
 |
Nitinol demonstration of long life and durability,
butterfly gently flaps its wings, beautiful lifelike
motion makes it a great gift as well. Uses wall
transformer for power (included).
|
|
Flexinol® Air Valve
Click for Larger Picture |
Dynalloy designed this valve to
show how simply an electronic air valve could
be manufactured with Flexinol® actuator wire.
We found that even these simple demonstration
valves are useful for many applications of air
flow control. They can handle up to 75 psi, proportional
control, much smaller (as you can see sitting
next to this dime), and cost up to 1/10 of comparable
electronic valves with the same characteristics.
|
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Live Wire
 |
Fun and educational! You can bend it while
cold, then heat it in hot water, and it will straighten quite
forcefully. You can modify the remembered shape
by annealing the wire. For more information Click Here.
|
|
Nitinol Memory Wire
| This nitinol metal changes phase
around 50oC. Bend it, then drop it
into hot water and watch it return to its original
shape! Can be set into different shapes by heating
with a candle flame. Diameter: 0.75mm(approximately
.03")
For more information on Nitinol material
click
here or Download this PDF
file
Nitinol Wire is priced per foot
Bulk Discount -
10 feet or more @ $2.25 per foot.
|
|
Nitinol Memory Wire Samples
| These 3" samples of memory
wire can be wound around a pencil to form a coil.
When immersed in hot water, the wire returns to
its original shape. The wires can be "set" into
other shapes, using a candle flame. These wires
have a smaller diameter than our memory wire by
the foot.
For more information on Nitinol material
click
here or Download this PDF
file
Nitinol Wire Samples are priced per 3"
piece
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