This SparkFun 0.005" Muscle Wire (aka Nitinol) is a one foot long piece of nickel-titanium alloy that can flex and contract when a specific amount of heat or current is applied to it.
If you are asking yourself "What sorcery is this?!" We assure you, this isn't magic, it's just simple science thanks to shape memory and a change between the wires weaker, low temperature form (martensitic) and its stronger, high temperature form (austenite).
When the Muscle Wire is in its martensitic form, it can be formed and bent into different shapes. However, when an electrical current of 200mA is applied to the wire , it reverts to austenite form and recovers its previous shape with great force. Additionally, when the wire is in its austenite form you can bend it to whatever shape you would want it to revert to once that current is applied.
Product Features:
- Length: 305mm
- Diameter: 0.127mm
- Current Required for Austenite Form: 200mA
- Pull Force: 0.49lbs
- Resistance: 1.9 ohms/inch
Documents:
Note: The datasheet found Above is for Flexinol, that isn't exactly what we carry but it's close.