Fort Wayne Metals

Shape Setting

In order to take full advantage of Nitinol’s shape memory properties, some customers require the wire to be in a certain shape in order to perform in their application. At Fort Wayne Metals, we can “set” a wire shape that specifically conforms to your device design requirements.

Shape setting is the process of wrapping Nitinol wire around a mandrel or fixture and heat treating at a closely controlled time and temperature to achieve a desired shape in the material. After the material is quenched and removed from the mandrel, the wire will “remember” its shape after deformation or a change in temperature.

Fort Wayne Metals has multiple precision fluidized beds as well as other proprietary shape setting methods to meet the needs of any complex design requirements. We also have rapid prototyping capabilities, which allow us to design and fabricate our own tooling in house resulting in greatly improved lead times. Our engineering team has many years of experience in building components to our customers’ specifications.

If your application requires shape set parts, contact us. We also offer shape setting information on the Nitinol Overview Page. We’re one of the world’s leaders in working with Nitinol, and we’re ready to put our expertise to work for you.

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  Arrow with coined ends - dark oxide

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  Complex circles

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  Crown with crimp

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  Double diamond, strand

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  Double hook, twisted

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  Folded ends, flat wire

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  Loop, twisted with hypotube

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  Single hook, strand

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  U-shape with beaded ends