Empowering Future Nitinol Medical Device Designers with Accessible Simulation Tools

Modeling and Simulation is a key tool in the design of implantable Nitinol-based medical devices. The importance of simulation in this space is certain to grow in the future with the increased acceptance of in silico methods in demonstrating the safety and efficacy of new implant designs. Yet, simulation of Nitinol remains a niche skill. The main barrier to using simulation is the high cost of commercial simulation software, a steep learning curve for the nonlinear simulation methods, and a dearth of open resources on Nitinol simulation methods. Here we present a collection of tools, resources, and approaches that can make Nitinol simulation more accessible to future medical device designers and R&D engineers. We present simple analytical tools to predict quantities such as expansion and crimp stains in Nitinol stents. We show how embedded simulation capabilities in design software such as SolidWorks can be used for screening early-stage Nitinol implant designs. We also show how these approaches compare to the results obtained from commercial simulation software such as Abaqus. We close by discussing open training materials, best practice documents, and other resources developed to make Nitinol simulation more accessible to future device designers. We hope that with a broader knowledge of these resources, Nitinol simulation will become a skill known to many new engineers who join the medical devices industry workforce.