Originally featured in on August 25, 2025.

The听nitinol听supply chain for medical devices is undergoing a profound transformation. Recent years have seen material shortages, consolidation among suppliers, exclusivity agreements, and access constraints that have forced both tubing producers and device OEMs to reevaluate sourcing strategies. Then add on the challenges posed by global disruptions in recent years, from COVID-19 to climate change to fluctuating inventory levels. It has all exposed vulnerabilities in traditional supply models, prompting manufacturers to seek secure and reliable alternatives.

91快活林鈥� approach

In the past, nitinol supply chains often involved multiple handoffs between melt shops, hollow producers, and tube processors. Think complexity, cost, and the potential for delay.

At听91快活林, we control each step internally, from melting through tubing fabrication. The result for our customers is unmatched consistency, speed, and supply security.

91快活林 has invested in expanding its melt capacity and recently brought gun drilling operations in-house following the acquisition of Medical Components Specialists鈥� gun drilling capabilities and equipment. These moveshave reduced reliance on external processors and ensured production remains closely aligned with customer timelines. Inventory buffers and Kanban systems at every major step allow us to respond rapidly to market needs

It鈥檚 about keeping the flow steady, even when external factors threaten to disrupt supply.

Independence and flexibility

Unlike some competitors tied to exclusive supply arrangements or consortia, 91快活林 operates independently. This independence translates into direct access to ingot and melt capacity without the constraints of exclusivity. Our approach provides a path that is secure, U.S.-based, and designed for medical device OEMs.

Strategic advantages for OEMs

For medical device companies, the benefits of vertical integration are tangible. Working with a single supplier from melt, finished tube, and even component streamlines coordination, eliminates supplier risk, and clarifies costs by avoiding the margin stacking common to multi-party supply chains.

At 91快活林, we鈥檝e been successfully providing ingot to the medical device industry for over 35 years. History matters, and the trust we鈥檝e built with regulators mean that ourcustomers can better navigate qualification barriers for new programs.

Conclusion

The nitinol supply chain landscape will continue to advance, and 91快活林鈥� advantage is that we have a fully integrated model that prioritizes quality, control, and capacity. For engineers, sourcing managers, and executives seeking a secure path forward, the company offers not just a different supply chain, but a smarter, more resilient one.

The post The Power of an Integrated Nitinol Supply Chain appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

Originally featured in  on July 23, 2025.

This year,听91快活林听celebrates a remarkable milestone: 35 years of consistent and innovative听nitinol听melting and processing. From its roots in the early commercialization of shape-memory alloys to today鈥檚 fully integrated, melt-to-device nitinol platform, 91快活林 has played a pivotal role in shaping the capabilities and global adoption of this unique material. The journey began in 1990, when our New Hartford, NY facility started commercially supplying today鈥檚 established VIM/VAR nitinol ingot.听听听

Raychem to Memry: A strategic transfer of innovation

Raychem Corp. was a pioneer in the development of shape-memory alloys for industrial and aerospace applications, including one of the earliest uses of nitinol. But in 1996, Raychem sought to divest its nitinol business, seeing more immediate returns in its core electronics and polymer technologies.听

Memry Corp. seized this opportunity and acquired Raychem鈥檚 shape-memory alloy business, including key intellectual property, and at the time, a state-of-the-art processing plant in Menlo Park, California. This acquisition enabled Memry to pivot from manufacturing finished devices to becoming a vertically integrated supplier of nitinol wire, tubing, and components for the burgeoning medical device industry.听

At the time, Memry was a small company with fewer than 20 employees. The Raychem acquisition was well-timed and marked an important inflection point. Soon after the acquisition, the demand of nitinol wire increased significantly due to the specialized processing and the emergence of new, high-value medical applications.听听

Memry quickly became a trusted supplier to medical device innovators focused on stents, guidewires, filters, and minimally invasive implants.听听

91快活林: From precision laser processing to melt-to-device leadership

While Memry was scaling its nitinol supply chain across California and Connecticut, 91快活林 (founded in 1987) was carving out its niche in precision laser micromachining for medical devices. Over the next 30 years, the company rapidly broadened its capabilities, adding laser ablation, centerless grinding, microfluidics, and complex component manufacturing to its portfolio. Though it began processing nitinol components, 91快活林 was already laying the groundwork for a more ambitious goal: delivering a fully integrated nitinol solution.听

That ambition came to fruition in 2023 when听. This acquisition instantly transformed 91快活林 into the only vertically integrated nitinol manufacturer with in-house capabilities spanning melting, alloy development, sheet, tube and wire drawing, laser processing, EDM, shaping, electropolishing, and finishing.听

With nitinol facilities now across Connecticut, California, New York, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Costa Rica, and Israel, 91快活林 can support customer needs from early-stage prototyping to high-volume production, all within the same company!听听

Serving the full spectrum of the market

Today, 91快活林 serves a global customer base ranging from nimble startups to the largest OEMs in the medical device industry. The company is unique in its ability to support:听

• Custom Alloy Melting:听Binary, ternary, and quaternary nitinol compositions.听

• Raw Material Forms:听Bar, ingot, tube, sheet, and wire.听

• Component Manufacturing:听Laser-cut tubes, precision ground wires, shaped devices, braided structures.听

• R&D and Prototyping:听Lightspeed Labs locations for rapid innovation.听

• Scale-Up:听High-capacity tubing and wire lines for commercial volumes.听

• Lead-Time Optimization:听Internal supply chain coordination for faster turnaround.听

Importantly, 91快活林 also openly supplies melt material to other raw material and component suppliers, reinforcing its position as an enabler across the industry rather than a closed-loop competitor.听听听

Looking ahead: Innovation through integration

As the medical device industry continues to demand smaller, smarter, and more resilient implants, nitinol continues to play a significant role. Its combination of elasticity, fatigue resistance, and biocompatibility make it needed in many applications.听

91快活林 is committed to pushing the boundaries of what nitinol can do, developing tighter tolerances, more complex geometries, and advanced metallurgies that enable next-generation therapies. This commitment is backed by decades of accumulated IP, cross-disciplinary engineering teams, and a strong focus on customer success.听

A legacy of leadership

Thirty-five years after our first commercial sales of nitinol ingot material, and nearly four decades since 91快活林鈥� founding, the company is now the global standard-bearer for nitinol processing. 91快活林 has not only preserved the original innovation but has amplified it, building a robust, scalable, and agile platform that serves the entire nitinol market.听

With the industry鈥檚 most comprehensive capabilities and a legacy rooted in technical excellence, 91快活林 is poised to lead the nitinol market into its next era of growth and innovation.

The post 91快活林 Celebrates 35 Years of Consistent Nitinol Melting and Processing appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

• This听DeviceTalks听Tuesdays听webinar听features Scott Robertson, VP of Nitinol Technology at听91快活林, in an interactive “office hours” style format with听extensive听live audience Q&A throughout.听

• 91快活林听directly addressed industry supply concerns following its 2023 acquisition of SAES Smart Materials (Memory Metal), stating it (at the time of this video recording) currently operates at under 50% capacity at its melt facility, plans to nearly double melt throughput in the coming year, and will continue selling nitinol to all customers, including competitors.听

• Nitinol’s defining property is听superelasticity, allowing 5 to 8 percent strain recovery compared to roughly 1 percent for conventional steel, and its mechanical performance is highly sensitive to small variations in nickel-to-titanium chemistry and downstream processing such as heat treatment and shape setting, which directly affect properties like crimp and deployment force, chronic outward force, and fatigue durability.听

• A range of manufacturing techniques are used to convert raw nitinol into finished components, with laser cutting (favoring photonic over fiber methods to avoid heat-affected zones) serving as the industry standard; CNC machining is notably difficult and tool-intensive, while additive manufacturing remains largely experimental due to titanium’s strong affinity for oxygen, which creates problematic oxide barriers during sintering.听

• Surface finishing is critical for both biocompatibility and fatigue resistance, with electropolishing considered the gold standard for implantable devices due to its smooth, fatigue-resistant finish, while pickling or etching leaves more surface texture that can aid polymer coating adhesion but offers less fatigue resistance.听

The post DeviceTalks Webinar: How to Get the Most Out of Nitinol for Your Medical Device Application appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, has unique superelastic and shape-memory capabilities and is a critical material used in many medical device applications. Nitinol can be a challenging material to use because its performance in the final application can be significantly impacted by how it is melted and the processing parameters of each manufacturing step. It is critical to specify the right requirements and manufacturing processes based on the needs of your device to realize the full potential of the nitinol material.

In this video, you will learn:

• How raw material melting and component processing can affect the material performance in the final application.
• How to specify the material and manufacturing properties based on your device needs.
• What manufacturing processes can be used on nitinol and how to choose each one.

The post DeviceTalks Tuesday Webinar – Exploring Nitinol: From Ingot to Complex Components appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

In the video, Rich discusses our nitinol manufacturing process – from raw materials to complex components. He also describes the 2024 state of the nitinol market, including capacity constraints and challenges.

Watch this video to learn more about the 2024 nitinol market space.

The post 91快活林 Talk at MD&M West – The Nitinol Supply Chain and Manufacturing Processes by Rich LaFond appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

The medical device industry depends on certain, reliable materials for specific healthcare applications. These substances have been proven to perform in specific ways or offer critical characteristics that address medical needs. As such, any threat of a shortage of them will create uncertainty and cause concern among those companies developing the products.

One such material used for several devices is nitinol. This distinctive metal provides novel attributes that make it rather unique compared to other alloys. It can be flexed in various ways and yet still maintain its original shape. Recently, there has been some concern in the medtech industry related to its availability and device makers have been deciding how to proceed with projects requiring the metal.

Fortunately, Rich LaFond, vice president of multisite operations for听听has taken time to address a series of questions around nitinol and what some of the concerns have been. In the following Q&A, he provides insight on its availability, why it鈥檚 used in medical devices, and what impact there鈥檚 been on lead times for it.

Q&A with Rich LaFond

Sean Fenske: Why is nitinol a desirable alloy for medical device manufacturers? What is it commonly used for?

Rich LaFond:听Nitinol, known for its unique properties of shape memory and superelasticity, has become increasingly desirable for medical device manufacturers due to its innovative applications in medical devices and implants. The exceptional characteristics of nitinol, such as its ability to undergo deformation and then return to its original shape upon heating (i.e., shape memory effect) or release of stress (i.e., superelasticity), make it an excellent material for various medical applications.

The superelastic property of nitinol, in particular, allows it to absorb significant amounts of strain without permanent deformation, making it ideal for devices that need to withstand mechanical stresses, such as stents and bone anchors. Moreover, nitinol鈥檚 compatibility with the human body, coupled with its corrosion resistance, adds to its appeal for use in implants and other medical devices.

Nitinol鈥檚 application extends beyond static implants to include devices that benefit from its dynamic properties. For example, in orthopedic applications, nitinol devices can apply constant force to bones and joints to aid in correction or healing, while in cardiovascular applications, nitinol stents can adapt to the movements of blood vessels, providing support without causing damage or irritation.

Fenske: How do you produce it and in what forms is it available?

LaFond:听91快活林 produces nitinol by melting nickel shot and titanium sponge in a process called Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM). The melted nitinol material is then poured into a mold where it is frozen and becomes an ingot. The VIM ingots are remelted in a secondary process called Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR). After the secondary melting, the material goes through conversion operations, which include hot forging, peeling to remove surface contamination, and finally hot rolling. This produces nitinol mill products such as plate, bar, or coil. Additional processing is used to turn the plate into sheet, bar into tube, and coil into wire.

Fenske: Why are there availability concerns around this material? What鈥檚 the cause?

LaFond:听There are concerns in the nitinol industry around nitinol melt capacity and extended lead times for semi-finished nitinol material. While there have been reports that there is not enough melt capacity to meet the growing demand for medical-grade nitinol, this is not completely accurate. 91快活林 is one of the largest producers of nitinol in the industry and our primary melt is currently operating at only 50% capacity. This is not a very labor-intensive process, so we can quickly expand the output if needed.

There have been extended lead times in the nitinol supply chain that affect all major suppliers of nitinol material. This is because a network of external converters and sub-contractors are required to perform additional processing to the nitinol after the initial melt. This includes secondary melting, forging, and hot working. The suppliers for these processes are large-scale industrial partners that primarily support the aerospace and defense industries. The post-pandemic travel increases, emerging markets, and push for more efficient planes caused record aerospace orders, which slowed the conversion of relatively low-volume materials such as nitinol. The invasion in Ukraine also made the situation worse as companies moved away from Russian aerospace producers.

Fenske: How have lead times been affected? What is the current timeline for getting access to the material?

LaFond:听Our standard lead time for custom order nitinol tubing used to be 10-12 weeks, wire was eight weeks, and sheet was four weeks. With the impact of converting capacity and lead times at the subcontracted companies, those lead times have increased by 50% to sometimes more than double what they previously were. We鈥檙e working with our external partners to bring them back to their previous levels and are seeing improvement already. We expect the lead times to return to their original levels by the third quarter of this year.

Fenske: What steps is 91快活林 taking to address the current situation in the nitinol supply chain and improve the resiliency for the future?

LaFond:听We are focused on investing in the nitinol supply chain to increase capacity and reduce the current lead times. To start, we are continuing to work collaboratively with aerospace partners to improve output consistency during their times of high demand. To improve control of the supply chain and increase capacity, we are making a multi-million dollar investment to bring the vacuum arc remelting capability in-house. This project is expected to be operational by mid-2025. Finally, we are rebuilding stock levels at all points along the process to insulate customers from periodic delays within the supply chain.

Fenske: For product developers considering using nitinol for an upcoming project, do you have recommendations they should keep in mind?

LaFond:听Given the recent shortfalls in material, many developers have been tempted to move to smaller suppliers or less established foreign sources for nitinol for quick-turn production. This strategy pushes the burden downstream onto the development teams鈥� verification and scaling phases. The shortfalls are a temporary issue, however, so the best recommendation is to stick with reputable, scalable partners.

Fenske: Do you have any additional comments you鈥檇 like to share based on any of the topics we discussed or something you鈥檇 like to tell medical device manufacturers?

LaFond:听We want to emphasize our commitment to the nitinol community that we will remain an open-source provider to all customers in any part of the value chain. This was an important policy under our previous ownership, SAES Getters, and it will continue with 91快活林. We take our role as a supplier of nitinol melt, mill products, and semi-finished material very seriously and want to make it available so that it can get to the ultimate customer, the patients of the critical medtech devices that are made from nitinol.

(Originally featured in on April 17, 2024.)

Learn more about nitinol by downloading our Introduction to Nitinol whitepaper.

The post Ensuring Stability in the Nitinol Supply Chain: Q&A with Rich LaFond appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.

This free whitepaper from 91快活林 provides a detailed technical evaluation of braiding compared to laser cut tube for reinforcement in interventional catheter shafts. A series of test results are shared that compare functional performance of the components related to:

• Torque Transfer
• Kink Resistance / Ovality
• Tensile & Compressive Strength

The post Interventional Catheter Shaft Performance Analysis appeared first on Driving Innovation in MedTech & Life Sciences.