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Smart Materials Consultants

Midé is a world leader in the application of smart material technologies to engineering problems. Our extensive engineering expertise span the following technologies:

  1. Shape memory alloys
  2. Piezoelectric materials
  3. Smart Hydrogels
  1. Magnetostrictive materials
  2. Electrostrictive materials
  3. Electroactive polymers

Shape Memory alloys

fsma diagram

Mide is one of the leading developers of Nitinol based products in the world. It has extensive expertise in the design and manufacture of Shape Memory Alloy actuators. Mide has developed SMA actuators that are faster than most others on the market, and is capable of designing a custom actuator to meet your needs. Mide has experience in using wire and sheet forms of Nitinol. Mide has also developed mechanisms used for energy absorption from superelastic forms of Nitinol.



Piezoelectric Materials

hsv actuator

Mide is the world leading supplier of packaged piezo actuators. Mide manufactures all its piezo products in house. A line of standard products are available on our website. Mide also manufactures products at large volumes for a number of OEM customers. Mide possesses the expertise to design a system using piezoelectric actuators of all shapes and sizes including wafer, stack, and ring. Custom actuator solutions are available. Mide also developed piezoelectric amplifiers and can deliver a complete systems solution.


Smart Hydrogels

blue foam

Hydrogels are a type of polymer that can absorb large amounts of water, and can swell up to 1000% times its original volume. It can be triggered via a number of mechanism such as a change in temperature, salinity , or pH. Mide has used this unique characteristic to design a wet suit that provides additional insulation in colder waters. It also has developed a shaft sealing system for ships that can minimize the amount leakage that passes through the gap between a shaft and its housing. Mide has the ability to tailor the hydrogel properties to meet a variety of needs.


Magnetostrictive Materials

magnetostrictives

Magnetostriction is the material property that causes a material to change its length when subjected to an electro-magnetic field. Magnetostriction properties also cause materials to generate electro-magnetic fields when they are deformed by an external force. Magnetostrictive materials can thus be used for both sensing and actuation. Terfenol-D is a commercially available magnetostrictive material that has "giant" magnetostriction at room temperatures. Mide has designed and developed a number of actuator and vibration isolation mounts using magnetostrictive materials.


Electrostrictive Materials

Electrostrictive materials strain proportionally to the square of the applied voltage of the applied electric field. They are unlike piezoelectric materials in that they are not poled. They possess lower hysteresis than piezoelectrics, but since they are more capacitive in nature, a larger driving current is required. They are also highly non-linear since they respond to the square of the applied voltage. The most prominent electrostrictive material is lead magnesium niobate (PMN).


Electroactive Polymers

aas sensor

One of the most common types of electroactive polymers (EAP) is PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride). Mide has developed a number of custom strain and vibration sensors from PVDF. The material can be shaped such that it acts as a natural filter depending on the mode of interest. PVDF sensors and actuators can be operated in air, vacuum or water and throughout a wide temperature range.

Midé prides itself in providing an end-to-end system engineering solution with smart or active materials. We design, test and supply the actuator, the sensor, the control system, power electronics and support to ensure customer. Please contact us for more information.


For more information:
Please contact Attila (Products), or call: 781-306-0609 x225


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