3D printing could speed up the production of individual smartphone parts

According to industry insiders, the iPhone 6 and the new generation of Apple tablets could be made of Liquidmetal. This is also indicated by a number of recently filed patents by the Californian company Liquidmetal Technologies. The high-tech material is zirconium alloys, which are not only extremely easy to shape, but are also more resistant and elastic than other alloys.

Easier modeling

"The further development of new materials in 3D printing is progressing rapidly Liquidmetal a completely new, extremely light and scratch-resistant material, "says Thomas Grössing from the Vienna-based 3D printing company, opposite pressetext. Nevertheless, the specialist believes it is possible that this is a skilful PR campaign from Apple that might could endeavor to participate in hot topics such as 3D printing.

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These amorphous materials - also called "metallic glasses" - only cool down slowly, which is why they can be modeled more easily than alloys made of titanium or aluminum. The new patents also include an injection molding process and 3D printing with Liquidmetal in the form of a metallic glass powder. "The advantages of this technology lie in the accuracy of the printing and the speed of production. Complex individual parts such as those of a smartphone are certainly not a problem for the latest generation of 3D printers."

Savings potential uncertain

As far as the potential for cost savings is concerned, no prediction can be made, according to Grössing. "The material costs and also the printer costs are not yet clearly defined. It is therefore difficult to discuss whether or how high the savings would actually be," explains the expert. Nevertheless, with such high print runs, injection molding technology is cheaper than 3D printing. "Nonetheless, Liquidmetal opens up new avenues that are no longer possible with the aid of injection molding," summarizes Grössing.

The high-tech metal could not only be used to manufacture the complex internal parts of the devices, but also the extremely thin housings. In contrast to conventional metal alloys, which have some weak points due to their crystalline structure, Liquidmetal scores with its regular amorphous structure, which allows fewer gaps and is therefore much more resilient.

Source: presstext.com

(mh)