The latest application developed for Liquidmetal ® alloys is in the field of hinge components for electronic housings in the mobile phone industry. With the increased complexity in handset circuitry, a greater demand is placed on the performance of internal structural components. As a result, the use of conventional materials becomes inadequate to meet the new performance benchmarks.
Liquidmetal alloys are ideally suited for critical-performance applications where close manufacturing tolerances are vital. Cell phone hinge housings represent a perfect example of critical performance needs where incumbent materials such as zinc, magnesium, stainless steel and even titanium have inherent design and performance limitations. Hinge components made with other lower-strength metals have less resilience to impact from dropping or the daily wear-and-tear of repeated flip-phone actions. On the other hand, Liquidmetal alloys have superior yield strength and elasticity, properties that resist deformation and provide exceptional durability. In addition, structural parts made from Liquidmetal alloys can be net-shape formed to thinner profiles while maintaining their superior strength, resulting in more design space to accommodate consumer demands for new technology.
Key Liquidmetal alloys advantages for hinge components include:
- Reliability for repeated load-bearing conditions
- Flexibility of design to meet customer needs
- Much higher yield strength & hardness greater than any commercially cast alloys
- More room for FPCB design and accommodation
- High dimensional accuracy and stability
- Outstanding surface finish with near net shape casting process
- Superior corrosion resistance
 
Liquidmetal alloys also provide both a competitive price-performance combination and a quick development cycle using a concurrent engineering process, leading to a large production capacity with high quality control.
Liquidmetal alloys hinge application represents the launching point for a wide range of similar niche categories that will benefit from the strength and performance advantages of Liquidmetal alloys. |
