Braided wire is the structural foundation of many catheter, sheath, and robotic device designs, but maximizing performance requires careful trade-offs. This technical blog, based on a recent webinar, explores how wire condition, tensile properties, flat versus round geometries, spooling practices, and surface finishes influence the capabilities of your devices. …
Medical device conductors often need to perform multiple functions within a single assembly. One section may need to transmit electrical signals, another must move smoothly through a lumen, and another may require direct contact with tissue. Advanced coating technologies help meet these competing demands by providing electrical insulation, reducing friction, improving durability, or combining several benefits in the same device. Materials such as ETFE, PFA, FEP, PTFE, and polyimide each offer unique performance characteristics that allow engineers to balance dielectric strength, flexibility, lubricity, abrasion resistance, and size constraints based on application requirements.…
To meet the demands of cutting-edge medical device design, Fort Wayne Metals has engineered a unique composite wire that combines superelastic Nitinol with a radiopaque platinum core. In this technical deep dive, Senior Engineer Jenica Kolhoff and Dr. Jeremy Schaffer explore how varying platinum content affects mechanical performance, imaging visibility, and fatigue resistance. The findings reveal critical insights for device designers balancing precision placement and material behavior in minimally invasive applications.…
Fort Wayne Metals introduces a new class of Nitinol-based super-elastic alloys with gigapascal-level strength and cryogenic durability. Discover how these advanced materials are enabling thinner, stronger medical devices and unlocking possibilities for space exploration.…
Nitinol has long been the gold standard for superelastic medical devices, but its nickel content raises biocompatibility concerns. In this blog, Fort Wayne Metals explores a breakthrough Ni-free β-Ti alloy—Ti-40Hf-13Nb-4.5Sn—that offers stable superelasticity, strong fatigue resistance, and scalable manufacturing, positioning it as a promising alternative for next-generation implants.…