Part 2/11:
Paul begins by providing a brief history, noting that Nitinol was first developed in 1959 by the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, hence the acronym NITinol. This material’s remarkable characteristic is its shape memory effect, which involves deformation at lower temperatures and recovery upon heating. Despite its potential, working with Nitinol is challenging due to its hard, nickel-titanium composition—a trait that historically limited its machining and processing, especially with older technology.