A new class of nickel-titanium shape memory alloys that can potentially slash the price of stents for the heart and other biomedical devices by half has been developed by Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI), a Hyderabad-based defence public sector unit.

At present, the material is imported from US, China and Europe at high costs by domestic manufacturers, who use the alloy in various commercial applications. By developing the capability Midhani joins a select group of manufacturers in the world.

Shape memory alloys can be altered to the desired shape. They have the ability to retain their original physical shape when subjected to heating to a threshold temperature. Because of this property, they have been used in the making of a range of biomedical devices such as intra-vascular stents, orthodontic wires, guide-wire and bone plates.

The latest development can boost the healthcare and ‘Make in India’ efforts in the societal sector.

The nickel-titanium shape memory alloy is also called the memory metal, muscle wire, intelligent material and have superior mechanic properties and corrosion resistance. They have been used in automotive, aerospace, robotics and bio-medical fields world over, according to Midhani officials.

It will be a boon to patients as the Union government has taken steps to reduce the cost of stents in recent months.

Tie-up with NAL

The PSU has started production of the alloy in various mill forms after signing a Transfer of Technology Agreement with National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru. It has already qualified wire and strip products for engineering applications and is supplying to GE India. The process of qualifying other products such as rods, plates and springs and acquiring some of the production and material testing facilities are in progress, sources told BusinessLine.

The domestic market for the alloy is estimated to be in the range of ₹700 – 1,000 cr, with about 40 per cent share for engineering and about 60 per cent for biomedical applications. Midhani is gearing up to tap the market both in the defence and civilian sectors. With the help of NAL and Medical Research Institution, it is prepared to meet the stringent international standards of the biomedical sector.