Welded titanium stent tip failure

Physical-object demonstration — Tom passes a stent around the class. Used to illustrate why titanium (not stainless) is used in the human body. Consulting case from 10–15 years prior.

[Tom produces a stent and hands it to the class.] It's a little welded titanium wire. They'll fold this thing up, slip it in a tube, bring it in right next to your heart, open it up, let the spring open, and it will catch all those clots that are going to kill you. Just a filter. But it won't corrode in the human body. You try to make that out of stainless steel, it'll be toast.