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🩺How it is made

Nitinol · Near-equiatomic Ni–Ti that remembers shape and super-elasticates — stents, orthodontics and actuators.

At a glance
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology

Quick answers

Is Nitinol non-combustible?

Declared reaction class in this atlas: A1 metal. Assemblies still need resistance tests.

Does Nitinol insulate?

Thermal mark 12/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~10–18 W/m·K.

What is the density band?

~6.45 g/cm³

How is it made?

Origin story: NOL 1959 Buehler (United States).

Can it be recycled?

Circularity mark 36/100 — editorial, route-specific.

Typical melting or failure heat?

~1310 °C

heat 50 · fire 78

Start with this section - How it is made

Making Nitinol is a chain: feedstock, conversion (NOL 1959 Buehler), forming, heat, finish, install.

Skip a step and the properties chapter is describing a different object.

Process steps

01 Feedstock

Ore, monomer, fibre, mineral or scrap that can legally become Nitinol.

02 Conversion

NOL 1959 Buehler

03 Forming

Cast, spin, weave, sinter, foam, laminate or coat — the step that sets anisotropy.

04 Heat / cure

Temper, vulcanise, calcine or dry: skip it and the datasheet is fiction.

05 Finish

Coatings, sizings, facers, galvanizing, anodising, painting.

06 Install

Fasteners, adhesives, DFT, compression, dryness — site quality is a material property.

Routes

Primary

Virgin route around United States.

Recycled / secondary

Recycling exists but quality or energy often disappoints.

Specialty

High-spec grades leave the commodity mill.

Site-applied

Coatings, sprays, casts — the factory is sometimes a jobsite.

Diagrams

Nitinol process path

Feedstock to installed product.

  1. Feed — in
  2. Convert — mill
  3. Form — shape
  4. Finish — coat
  5. Install — out
  6. Spec — code
  7. Scrap loop — rec

Nitinol heat & fire

Energy in, class out.

  1. Heat — in
  2. Nitinol — mat
  3. λ / char — out
  4. Ignition — fire
  5. Euroclass — class
  6. Assembly — sys

Hard limits

Envelope

Melting/softening ~1310 °C; conductivity ~10–18 W/m·K.

Environment

Moisture, UV, chlorides, alkalis or oxygen — pick the one that actually kills Nitinol.

Code

Fire class A1 metal is a starting letter, not a wall rating.

Process energy and scrap quality belong in the carbon passport, not in a footnote.

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