Conductor Material
The variety in applications and targeted functionality of medical wire places significant emphasis on the choice of alloy (conductor material) used. Characteristics to consider are electrical conductivity and resistivity, strength, fatigue life, ductility, thermoelectric properties, biocompatibility, high tensile strength, expansion coefficient, magnetic attraction, melting point and resistance to oxidation or corrosive environments. This elevates the importance of material science and availability of alloy choices provided by MWS to our medical customers.
Copper Alloys
OFHC Copper C101 (99.99%)
OFHC Copper C102 (99.95%)
ETP Copper C110 (99.90%)
High Performance Copper Alloys
IHTW – 340 N/mm2
SHTW – 370 N/mm2
XHTW – 385 N/mm2
ECONFLEX70 – 485 N/mm2
Stainless Steel
302
304
304 V / LV
316 / L / LVM
Nickel Alloys
Ni200
Ni205
Ni270
Monel 400
MP35N (High Performance)
Clad Metals
Cu Clad Steel (CCS 30% or 40%)
Cu Clad Stainless Steel (CCSS)
Cu Clad Aluminum (CCA 10% to 50%)
HTCCA 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 50%
Thermocouple
Alumel KN Thermocouple Grade
Chromel KP Thermocouple Grade
Constantan TN Thermocouple Grade
Precious Metals
Gold
Silver
Platinum
Tungsten
Titanium
Plating Options
(applied to any metal)
Gold
Silver
Tin
Copper
Nickel
Others
Drawn Filled Tubing
Nitinol
Details on MWS High Performance Wires
| Metal | Copper | Beryllium Copper | Phosphor Bronze | XHTW | EHTW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | ETP C11000 | C17200 | C51000 | Extra High Tensile Wire | Extreme High Tensile Wire | |
| Density | (lb/cu in) | 0.323 | 0.298 | 0.32 | 0.325 | 0.325 |
| Conductivity | (% IACS-Soft) | 100 | 22 | 15 | 89 | 80 |
| Electrical Resistance | (ohms/cir mil ft) | 10.3 | 46.2 | 69.1 | 11.8 | 12.9 |
| Tensile (Soft) | ksi | 34 | 68 | 51 | 50 | 56 |
| Tensile (Hard) | ksi | 55 | 152 | 110 | 62 | 68 |
| Elongation (a) | % | 6 to 36 | 1 to 42 | 5 to 49 | 10 to 25 | 10 to 30 |
| Solderability | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Good | Good | |
| Weldability | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Good | Good | |
| Bend Test (b) | 100 | 600 | 1,050 |
(a) Tensile and elongation values are nominal and generally size dependent
(b) Fatigue strength compared to annealed copper
