Production of shape memory alloys for microactuation

This paper reports on the development of shape memory alloy based microactuators that can be integrated in teleoperated microsystems for medical applications. The use of shape memory alloys as actuator will increase the performance of micromechanical devices by several orders of magnitude. The paper presents the results of a material study and an analysis of the current technological limitations of shape memory alloys for application in micro actuators. The possibilities for using thin rolled wires, ground wires, and melt-spun ribbons in micro-applications are studied in particular. These could offer an attractive alternative to sputtered shape memory thin films.