The magic of shape memory alloys

It is not uncommon for people to have memories, but metals also have memories, which is amazing! It is "shape memory alloy"!

Shape memory alloy, as the name suggests, is an alloy material with a "memory" effect, which can memorize its original shape, and has both sensing and driving functions. It is a smart material.

Once ordinary metal forms a spoon, it will always be a spoon. We can bend the spoon with pliers and it will turn into a pile of useless metal pieces. But if the spoon is made of shape memory alloy, if the spoon is bent and heated again, it will return to its original shape. This feature can give it many magical uses.

Material introduction

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) is a new type of functional material that can undergo phase change under the action of temperature and stress. It has unique shape memory effect, phase change pseudo-elasticity and other characteristics. It is the most critical material for 4D printing. . The biggest difference between it and ordinary metal is that it can be restored to its original shape by heating.

Industry development prospects

The shape memory alloy industry conforms to the seven emerging industries determined by the national strategic emerging industry plan and the central and local supporting support policies, and is also one of the industries supported and encouraged by the state.

In the future, with the development of shape memory alloy technology and the decline in costs, the promotion of industrial policies and the continuous improvement of consumer acceptance, shape memory alloys will gradually enter people’s daily lives, except for automobiles, robots, household appliances, and medical In addition to equipment and other products, some small items in daily life will also popularize the application of shape memory alloys, which will drive the further expansion of the shape memory alloy market.

Market size forecast

According to the "2018 Global and China Shape Memory Alloy Industry Deep Research Report", the global shape memory alloy market was worth 10.62 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 and is expected to reach 18.97 billion U.S. dollars by 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 12.3%. The growth of the shape memory alloy market can be attributed to the significant increase in demand for shape memory alloys in the global biomedical, aerospace, defense, consumer electronics and household appliances industries.

Aerospace: On July 20, 1969, American astronauts took the "Apollo" to leave human footprints on the moon for the first time, and transmitted information between the moon and the earth through a hemispherical antenna several meters in diameter. The giant antenna is made of a shape memory alloy material.

Biomedicine: A medical stent made of nickel-titanium alloy with memory function. After the target blood vessel is input, its shape will recover when it senses the blood temperature, which supports the narrow lesion area.

Robot: It can be assembled into a small robot by using shape memory alloy spring and its alloy wire. Controlling the contraction of the alloy can manipulate the opening, closing, flexion and extension of the fingers of the robot. The alloy component controls the position, movement and movement speed of the robot by directly inputting pulse frequency conversion current.

Automobiles: The most widely used shape memory alloy in automobiles is brakes. At present, there are more than one hundred types of applications, mainly used for engine control, transmission, suspension, etc., to improve safety, reliability and comfort. In addition, it is also applied to the noise prevention device of the automobile manual transmission system and the engine fuel gas control device.

Daily use: The "memory" bra produced by a Japanese daily necessities company was immediately favored by women after it was put on the market; the shape memory alloy spectacle frame produced by Japan's Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. can change its shape as the lens stretches and keeps the same Closely integrated.