Flexon
Flexon is an American brand launched in 1988 by Marchon Eyewear. Flexon utilizes NiTiNOL, a shape memory alloy composed of titanium and nickel which unlike other metals, can "remember" and return to its original set shape. This offers a number of advantages over other eyewear materials, including a lighter weight and increased durability.[1]
History
The history of Flexon dates back to 1961 when scientists at the US Naval Ordnance Lab who were creating titanium based alloys for use in missile heat shields. The researchers were surprised to discover that bends in the alloy would automatically remove themselves when exposed to heat. The scientists produced a small amount of the alloy and hit it several times with a hammer to test its hardness, causing several dents. They left the dented sample on a window sill. Hours later they found that the dents had removed themselves after being exposed to the noonday sun. The metal had “remembered” its original shape and automatically returned to it.
Flexon eyewear
During the mid-1980s, researchers in California’s Silicon Valley began experimenting with Flexon’s use in optical frames. At the time, it was virtually impossible to make frames out of the material because it could not be welded, plated, or processed. Marchon Eyewear patented the Flexon material and launched the first large-scale application of Flexon optical frames in 1988.[1]