Researchers fromIMDEA Materials Instituteand theTechnical University of Madrid(UPM) have reimagined nickel-titanium (Nitinol) alloys as fabric-like, interwoven structures, achieving levels of flexibility and mechanical performance previously impossible. By combining design-focused approaches with advanced 3D printing, the team has created superelastic metamaterials that could transform applications in robotics, aerospace, and healthcare.

The project, published inVirtual and Physical Prototyping, involved Carlos Aguilar Vega, Andrés Díaz Lantadam, Óscar Contreras, Dr. Muzi Li, Dr. Vanesa Martínez, Amalia San Román, Prof. Jon Molina, and Rodrigo Zapata Martínez, with support from theiMPLANTS-CMinitiative funded by theComunidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Addressing Limitations of 3D Printed Nitinol

Nickel–titanium (Nitinol) alloys are renowned for their superelasticity and shape-memory properties. Although laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is widely employed for 3D printing Nitinol, the technique has traditionally resulted in reduced elasticity and lower recoverable strain compared with conventionally processed material.

“While LPBF remains the gold standard of nitinol additive manufacturing, the shape-memory and superelastic properties of these additively manufactured NiTi parts do not yet match those achieved with more conventional industrial processes,” says Carlos Aguilar Vega, researcher from IMDEA Materials and the UPM.

Earlier research has indicated that 3D printed Nitinol exhibits approximately half the deformability of conventionally manufactured industrial Nitinol, with the additive processing of powders tending to produce materials with increased brittleness.

To overcome this, the team shifted from optimizing material composition to designing geometries that enhance mechanical performance, including intricate woven forms like meshes, spheres, and rings. “These were some of the most complex-shaped woven nitinol structures ever created”, explains fellow author, Prof. Andrés Díaz Lantada from the UPM and IMDEA Materials Institute.

Design-Based Framework for High-Performance Metamaterials

The researchers developed an algorithmic framework to create highly deformable, interwoven metamaterials tailored for additive manufacturing. Two main structure families—tubular lattices and cylindrical woven architectures—were produced and rigorously tested.

Mechanical testing confirmed that stiffness, load-bearing capacity, energy absorption, and toughness could be tuned through design alone. To ensure precision, the team used computed tomography alongside digital 3D printing models, validating the accuracy of complex geometries.

Source: 3D Printing Industry