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Apple-Liquidmetal Joint Patent Could Enable Futuristic-Looking Mobile Devices
MojoKid writes "Apple may be closer than previously thought to using Liquidmetal's technology to manufacture casings for its mobile devices. In a patent filing, a company called 'Crucible Intellectual Properties, LLC' (which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liquidmetal dedicated to Apple work) laid claim to a manufacturing process for creating 'bulk amorphous alloy sheets', also known as bulk metallic glass (BMG). The process, called 'float glass', involves two layers of molten metal, and the result is a glass-like metal that allegedly would be strong, incredibly lightweight, corrosion-resistant--and low cost. Further, the manufacturing process would ostensibly make it far easier to create specific items, as it removes some of the barriers and issues related to forming and cutting metal, and specifically BMG."
Despite the exciting name, all this stuff does is protect against bounces. Its appearance is somewhere between glass and metal. This better article from the site demonstrates the absurd amount of elastic energy it can handle.
Also, let's drop the "enable" part from the title: this product was already in use in both Apple products and products from other companies and has just been bought out exclusively by Apple as far as the tech sector is concerned. If anything that's a loss.
But, hey, I'm glad to know that we can finally have futuristic-looking mobile devices due to this exclusive patent licence! Thanks guys!
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Calm down before you all jump on the "Enable" wagon. It's actually a decently details filing with less ambiguous wording than assumed.
Abstract: "Embodiments herein relate to a method for forming a bulk solidifying amorphous alloy sheets have different surface finish including a “fire” polish surface like that of a float glass. In one embodiment, a first molten metal alloy is poured on a second molten metal of higher density in a float chamber to form a sheet of the first molten that floats on the second molten metal and cooled to form a bulk solidifying amorphous alloy sheet. In another embodiment, a molten metal is poured on a conveyor conveying the sheet of the first molten metal on a conveyor and cooled to form a bulk solidifying amorphous alloy sheet. The cooling rate such that a time-temperature profile during the cooling does not traverse through a region bounding a crystalline region of the metal alloy in a time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram. "
This is it -> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8485245.html
PDF -> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8485245.pdf
A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.
Make a metal body that deforms and returns to its original shape, like plastic, rather than deforming and assuming a new shape, like current metals. Also it can be formed by casting rather than machining. It's exciting stuff, although it'll probably be for a few troublesome components rather than whole phone bodies for the immediate future given the cost.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
You can injection mold it, too.
(BTW the only Apple product currently using it is a version of the paper-clip substitute they ship with the iPhone in some regions.)
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
In the sense that it yields abruptly when taken beyond its limits, not in the sense that those limits are low.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
If you can injection mold it, that makes me wonder what it's melting point is.
According to wikipedia, there is no melting point. It just gradually gets softer the hotter you make it.
At around 400C it's soft enough to be pushed into a mould.
Did you ever held a Liquidmetal SanDisk pen drive. I have unexciting news for you. Liquidmetal looks like metal and feels like metal. It is very hard, but has a subtle flexibility, just like a thin steel sheet. The sandisk had some rough/porous sections that I think are the result of the die cast process, and other shiny sections that seem to have been polished. In summary, it has nothing in its appearance to be excited about. :-\
It could provide manufacturing savings when compared to other methods, however. Maybe an iPhone will be $2 cheaper to produce. How exciting.
Despite the exciting name, all this stuff does is protect against bounces.
I'm not sure that's an accurate statement. Here's my reasoning. The product is described as twice as strong than titanium alloys. Liquuidmetal is a zirconium alloy (earlier forms included titanium in the mix with zirconium). Anyway. As strength increase so does brittleness. Or the inventers are due for a Nobel Prize in mechanical engineering. What this alloy is, is an amorphous alloy, rather than a crystalline alloy. There are uses for both alloys, but there is always a trade-off between strength and brittleness. The harder it is, the more brittle it will get. Bronze is also an amorphous alloy. Without seeing Liquidmetal's microstructure, I really can't comment much on the alloy's properties. But, I'm guessing that the molding process includes some form of work-hardening on the metal as it cools. That would be the logical thing to do to increase the strength, while preventing too much crystalization. The alloys look to be in the class of superalloys, but I lack enough information to classify them.
The linked to video shows a ball to demonstrate it's ability to absorb shock, but anyone who's ever played with glass marbles knows that the shape has every thing to do with it. A round ball has distinctly different properties than a flat sheet. What the article fails to point out, is that the attempt to use this metal in the flat part of the golf clubs resulted in a useful life of about 40 hits, before shattering.
That's not to say they done some really cool engineering work, and Apple will be coming out with some very cool cases in the future. But the laws of Physics still apply.