SHAPE MEMORY ACTUATORS
Amorphis builds precision deployment mechanisms using Nitinol shape memory alloy — for satellites, defence platforms, and beyond. Zero domestic competition. ITAR-free by design.
DRAG TO HEAT
THE ALLOY
Move the temperature slider and watch Nitinol's crystal structure, wire geometry, and mechanical properties change in real time. This is the physics behind every Amorphis actuator.
At low temperatures Nitinol exists in the Martensite phase — a twinned crystal structure that can be easily deformed. The alloy is soft and pliable. The wire can be stretched or bent without damage, storing elastic energy. This is the "armed" state of the actuator.
HOW SMA
FIRES
Four phases. Two seconds. Zero pyrotechnic shock. Every Amorphis actuator follows the same thermomechanical signature — from ride-share storage to deployment.
Wire pre-stretched and held in deep martensite below Mf (−30°C). Carries 8% mechanical strain indefinitely. Zero standby power on the bus.
Mission computer pushes a sub-2 W resistive heating pulse. Joule heating raises wire temperature past Austenite Start (+20°C) within milliseconds.
Monoclinic martensite reorders to cubic B2 austenite. Wire contracts by up to 8% while recovery force peaks above 500 MPa. The latch is driven home.
Above Af (+55°C) the wire is fully austenite. Latch released. Payload deployed. The integrated Hall sensor confirms position to the avionics in real time.
DEPLOYMENT
MECHANISMS
Three product families powered by one material platform. Designed in Hyderabad. Qualified for orbit.
Replaces explosive pyrotechnic pin pullers with a shape-memory wire trigger. Zero shock, fully resettable, 100+ cycle life.
Structural hold-down for solar arrays, deployable booms, and antennas. ECSS-compliant dual-circuit SMA architecture with integrated telemetry.
India's first domestically manufactured space-grade Nitinol. Eliminates import dependency, reduces COGS by 8–12%, and creates a second revenue stream from Year 4.
| Parameter | Pyrotechnic | Burn Wire | Solenoid / Paraffin | Amorphis SMA ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release shock | VERY HIGH | MEDIUM-HIGH | MEDIUM | ZERO |
| Resettability | None | Complex | Moderate | Full, tool-free |
| Part count | 20–40 | 12–20 | 8–15 | 1–3 parts |
| Power consumption | Spike | Continuous | Continuous | <2W burst |
| ITAR restricted | YES | YES | Partial | NO |
| India available | NO | NO | Partial | YES (Amorphis) |
| Position telemetry | None | None | Optional | Built-in Hall sensor |
PRODUCTS
IN ACTION
Three products. Three engineering stories. Each scene loops — watch the full sequence, no clicks required. Click any stage to restart from frame one.
PIN PULLER
A single command. A clean, deterministic release. Our pin puller holds your payload against any preload up to 800 N — then withdraws the pin in under 2 seconds with zero pyrotechnic shock. Resettable on the bench, qualified for space.
HDRM
Four points. One signal. Synchronized release within 1 millisecond — the difference between a clean deployment and a tumble. Built for solar arrays, antennas, and any panel that must come off intact. Currently flying spec on three customer programmes.
Ni-Ti WIRE STOCK
The material that makes it all work. Deform it cold, heat it, and it remembers. Our Ni-Ti 55 is shape-set, qualified, and stocked in seven diameters from 150 μm to 1.5 mm. Custom transition temperatures from −40 °C to +95 °C. Sold by the metre, qualified by the lot.
SIX REASONS
THIS WORKS
Pyrotechnics shake the spacecraft. Burn wires foul. Solenoids burn power. Shape memory does none of those things. These are the six material properties that turn SMA into a flight-qualified replacement for legacy release mechanisms.
No pyrotechnic blast — the phase transition is smooth and silent. Sensitive optics, cryocoolers and gimbals downstream stay aligned through deployment.
Cool below Mf and re-stretch by hand or test rig. No consumables. The same flight unit can be cycled through hundreds of qualification runs without replacement.
A single resistive heating burst under 2 W drives the full actuation in two seconds. Fits inside the existing spacecraft power budget — no dedicated supply.
No export-controlled materials in the critical path. Sell to ISRO, Dhruva, DRDO and overseas integrators without the licensing friction that gates US-origin parts.
Each wire contracts by up to 8% of its installed length on firing. Enough motion to drive substantial latch travel directly — no lever multiplication needed.
In-house Nitinol wire production from Year 4 in Hyderabad. Ends the import dependency and secures spacecraft-grade raw stock for India's launch cadence.
THE MATERIAL
IS THE MACHINE
Shape Memory Alloy eliminates moving parts, hydraulics, and explosive charges. One wire. One phase transition. One reliable release.
SMA wire cooled below transition temperature and stretched. Ball detents lock the pin. Drive spring stores energy. Zero power needed in this state — the mechanism can stay armed for years.
OBC closes firing circuit. Current heats wire above austenite finish temperature (60–70°C). Wire contracts toward memory shape. Amorphis' V-path geometry multiplies 3% wire strain into 1.5× greater latch displacement.
Latch aligns recess with ball detents. Drive spring pushes balls inward. Retaining pin moves smoothly outward — no explosion, no acoustic shock. Hall-effect sensor transmits armed/fired confirmation to OBC within milliseconds.
Knurled external collar converts rotational torque into linear force against drive spring. Reset in under 30 seconds with a hex key. Test 50 consecutive cycles. The flight unit is mechanically identical on cycle 50 as cycle 1.
SPEC YOUR
ACTUATOR
Set the parameters of your mechanism. The system sizes the wire, picks the actuator family, and estimates trigger power and timing. Real physics, real numbers — use it to scope a programme, then request the qualified datasheet.
TRL 3 → 9
24-month milestone programme. Engineering evidence unlocks each phase — not calendar dates.
- 3× SMA HDRM lab prototypes built and demonstrated
- Nitinol wire characterisation — 20+ actuation cycles logged
- 3kN ejector force validated in controlled lab conditions
- Arduino-based control + Hall-effect sensing system operational
- 3× Qualification Models to flight standard (Al 7075-T6)
- QM vibration test at Dhruva Space facility — certificate issued
- Thermal cycling −120°C to +120°C × 50 cycles
- Customer Letters of Intent secured
- 3× Flight Models — ECSS-compliant space-qualified hardware
- ThermoVac qualification at Dhruva Space testing facility
- Outgassing test ECSS-Q-ST-70-02C — vacuum-clean certificate
- Space flight status declared — first production orders confirmed
- First Indian satellite carrying Amorphis HDRM — launch campaign
- Production units sold across multiple satellite customers
- Defence product development begins — UAV fin actuator series
- Indian patent + PCT international application filed
- In-house Nitinol production begins — eliminating import dependency
- Defence-grade actuator series launched
- Medical SMA instrument development initiated
- Alloy sold to other SMA manufacturers — new revenue stream
BUILT BY
ENGINEERS
Two founders who built working prototypes with their own hands. One strategic partner who opens doors no investor can.
Materials engineering background with focus on SMA thermo-mechanical modelling. Personally designed and built the Amorphis HDRM — from Nitinol wire characterisation to housing machining to actuation verification across 20+ logged cycles. Leads all technical development and qualification planning.
Electronics, control systems, and embedded programming specialist. Built the Arduino-based current controller, Hall-effect sensing loop, and data logging system used for all prototype validation. Leads business development — originated the Dhruva Space strategic partnership.
India's most credentialed private satellite company. First Indian company to integrate directly onto SpaceX Falcon 9 (August 2025). IN-SPACe authorised. Provides ThermoVac and vibration testing infrastructure — the qualification path for Amorphis Flight Models.
LET'S BUILD
INDIA'S FUTURE
Customers, engineering partners, or press. We respond to every serious enquiry within 24 hours.
India — 500081
Engineers · Materials · Embedded Systems