Mound Laser Blog

Posted 5-2-2012

Laser Myth Busting #3: Nitinol versus Stainless Steel Hypotube Microcutting

Myth: True or False--Nitinol hypotube always provides superior flexibility and performance than stainless steel hypotube.

FALSE: Using a ND: YAG tube cutting system, Mound Laser demonstrates that using specific cut patterns in stainless steel hypotube will provide similar flexibility and performance as utilizing nitinol hypotube for the same application.

In our experiment, we show an application that is compatible with the aortic arch anatomy. Click the video below to view.

For some applications, the use of nitinol and stainless steel can be interchangeable. Often, stainless steel can be microcut to function in a similar manner as nitinol hypotube. Understanding the functional requirements of the hypotube are important in evaluating using stainless steel versus nitinol. Nitinol is typically chosen for its superelastic properties which enable the material to be navigated through tortuous anatomy. Because stainless steel does not have superelastic properties, it is often not considered as a material replacement for nitinol. However, using FEA analysis, Mound Laser has shown that in some cases when the superelastic properties of nitinol are not critical, a geometric cut pattern can be applied to stainless steel to provide equivalent product performance to nitinol applications. In these cases, companies can see a significant cost reduction in material without losing funtionality by substituting stainless steel in nitinol catheter products.

Another benefit of switching from nitinol to stainless steel is its increased weldability. If the product requires adhesive to be connected to another component, stainless steel hypotube may enable adhesive to be removed and replaced by laser welding. Through many prototype development projects, Mound Laser’s engineers have been able to substitute stainless steel hyptotube and experience no reduction in product performance. To find out if you application can benefit by switching materials, please contact Mound Laser.