Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
Yeah, and the iPhone 4 steel band is a custom alloy as well already. I don't see them replacing that anytime soon.
This could be useful for future iPads since what you want is something that's strong and rigid but lightweight.
For those referencing that janky idea about having metal backplates on the next iPods, it only makes sense if this metal is radio-transparent.
I've had a SanDisk "Titanium" (LiquidMetal) USB drive on a keychain for over 5 years. It is undented and almost completely unscratched. This is awesome news - both for iPods and for MacBooks/MBP's.
Also, on the link posted above (http://www.liquidmetal.com/index/) - it looks like companies have already been using LiquidMetal for antennas...
Hopefully it will be more scratch resistant than my 15" Core i7 MBP.......
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
This is expensive stuff. For small things like thumb drives, there's so little the expense doesn't matter much. For a phone or iPod, which costs much more in a small package, the same thing would be true. But for a notebook case, it would be a different matter. The charts showed several important characteristics that are well in its favor, but stiffness wasn't showed, A high elastic limit means that it would be much more resistant to dents, but that often also means that it's not that stiff. If that's true, we might think back to the titanium cases which bent too easily.
Stiffness isn't important when used in small devices, because this would be more than stiff enough for that. Then, in addition, Apple is using the machined cases to eliminate a number of internal parts, with screw bolsters machined directly into the case. They couldn't do that with this if they are going to use a thin amount to save weight and thickness. I can't imagine how much a cast and machined case made out of this would cost, even if Apple uses ten thousand times as much of this material each year as is used now, so that the cost of it comes down.
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
I don't see how it can wear better than TC, when TC has a hardness in the low 90's Rockwell.
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
I've worn a tungsten ring for 6 years now, and it's virtually scratch proof. I've taken off the ring and scratched it as hard as I can on cement, brick, metal files, anything.. and still not a scratch on it.
If this liquid metal stuff is more wear resistant than tungsten carbide, I would be flabbergasted. All I can say is I love my AAPL stock.
So how is this likely to play out in Apple's product lines?
Will this quickly or slowly replace all the aluminum or steel components? Can they mill this stuff like aluminum for unibody cases? What is the material cost in comparison to aluminum?
This posting reads way to much like a press release and too little like journalism.
Chances are they won't use it for large-scale casing at it is an exotic and there is no recycle stream for it - but for handheld devices, sure. Once a recycle is in place (if practical) then larger scale casings make sense. Based on the information available - it reads ok for me. Trying to pry loose information - especially on exotics and then extrapolating what they can be used for is not practical if you're looking for a news item. Now a research paper, maybe...
Apple has entered into an exclusive agreement to utilize amorphous metal alloys with unique atomic structures, allowing products that are stronger, lighter, and resistant to wear and corrosion
Hopefully cheaper too. All the metal unibody designs have increased the prices of the laptops.
The weight should be able to drop in the Mac Pro too but we'll see.
Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
The iPad and other larger mobile devices would be good examples where metal alloys could be used.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunner1954
If you combine Zr-alloy with Corning Gorilla Glass do you get ‘Transparent aluminum?’ (Anyone still remember Star Trek?)
Both glass and metals can be doped (or alloyed in the case of metals) to create the industrial raw materials of today. With glass you start with metalloid silicon element (e.g., from sand) and dope them with all sorts of other elements (including metallic elements), compounds or subtances to form all sorts of glass materials from transparent to opaque glass materials, and all sorts of colors.
Glass can be doped also with all sorts of other elements to make them more sturdy (e.g., gorilla glass), and can remain transparent -- very critical in the screens of smartphones using touch technology.
There are more metallic elements (aluminum, gold, tin, copper, titanium, to name a few) to choose from, as starting materials to manufacture metal alloys. However, I am not familiar with any transparent metallic alloy though.
Glass, even gorilla glass, is always more fragile than metals. Glass can shatter or break at much lower stress forces relative to metal alloys. Metallic alloys may bend or dent, but not shutter, upon stress or on impact.
Thus, metal alloys and glass have different optimal functions and uses in mobile devices. as far as casings and outer components are concerned.
Actually, I do not understand the technological rationale for using glass for the back casing even for smaller devices, like a smartphones. I was surprised therefore when the iPhone 4 used glass for the backcasing. It is mostly aesthetic that is lost in the white iPhone 4. One possible technical rationale for "glass backcasing" would have been using the back as "solar battery" area; but that may be a different "glass" technology altogether. Apple has an approved patent for solar powered technology for mobile devices.
Yeah, and the iPhone 4 steel band is a custom alloy as well already. I don't see them replacing that anytime soon.
This could be useful for future iPads since what you want is something that's strong and rigid but lightweight.
For those referencing that janky idea about having metal backplates on the next iPods, it only makes sense if this metal is radio-transparent.
Hmm?.. Actually as long as you have external antennas, backplates don't need to be radio transparent. See, the iP4 antenna design is a good step in the right direction preparing the way for even more radical design solutions.
I think this is just an intermediate solution. While adamantium would be a decent choice, I'm holding out for mirthil. Powered by dilithium crystals of course.
Mithral is pretty good, but cuendillar is much better. You can make your part out of anything first, and then turn it into cuendillar afterwards, so it's really easy and inexpensive to make things into it. You do need someone with the One Power to make the change though.
Will this quickly or slowly replace all the aluminum or steel components? Can they mill this stuff like aluminum for unibody cases? What is the material cost in comparison to aluminum?
Actually it's big claim to fame in this area is that it can be injection moulded, like thermoplastics. That means they could ditch the milling entirely. It costs a LOT more money than aluminum, but my guess is for small amounts of material the milling costs might be more than the material.
Here is a quote from the DigiTimes rumor that now sticks out:
"The CDMA iPhone's back plate will be forged from metal materials."
Curiouser and curiouser.
Doesn't that seem unlikely though, since metal would block radio signals? (There's a reason the iPhone 4 has a glass back.) Or does this new Liquidmetal alloy not block RF? If so, that's a pretty interesting feature of the material.
Comments
Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
Yeah, and the iPhone 4 steel band is a custom alloy as well already. I don't see them replacing that anytime soon.
This could be useful for future iPads since what you want is something that's strong and rigid but lightweight.
For those referencing that janky idea about having metal backplates on the next iPods, it only makes sense if this metal is radio-transparent.
Is this Reardon Metal from Hank Reardon ?
From Ayn Rand... Atlas Shrugged.
Is this Reardon Metal from Hank Reardon ?
Brilliant reference.
I've had a SanDisk "Titanium" (LiquidMetal) USB drive on a keychain for over 5 years. It is undented and almost completely unscratched. This is awesome news - both for iPods and for MacBooks/MBP's.
Also, on the link posted above (http://www.liquidmetal.com/index/) - it looks like companies have already been using LiquidMetal for antennas...
Hopefully it will be more scratch resistant than my 15" Core i7 MBP.......
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
Or is it adamantium?
Nope. It's Unobtainium.Apple has an expedition on its way to Pandora as we speak.
And its an old engineering term from the 1950's to boot...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
Brilliant reference....
Life imitates art I fear ....
Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
This is expensive stuff. For small things like thumb drives, there's so little the expense doesn't matter much. For a phone or iPod, which costs much more in a small package, the same thing would be true. But for a notebook case, it would be a different matter. The charts showed several important characteristics that are well in its favor, but stiffness wasn't showed, A high elastic limit means that it would be much more resistant to dents, but that often also means that it's not that stiff. If that's true, we might think back to the titanium cases which bent too easily.
Stiffness isn't important when used in small devices, because this would be more than stiff enough for that. Then, in addition, Apple is using the machined cases to eliminate a number of internal parts, with screw bolsters machined directly into the case. They couldn't do that with this if they are going to use a thin amount to save weight and thickness. I can't imagine how much a cast and machined case made out of this would cost, even if Apple uses ten thousand times as much of this material each year as is used now, so that the cost of it comes down.
Nope. It's Unobtainium.Apple has an expedition on its way to Pandora as we speak.
It has a longer history than that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
Also apparently forgotten by most people (see Unobtainium): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakley,_Inc.
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
I don't see how it can wear better than TC, when TC has a hardness in the low 90's Rockwell.
Insanely more scratch resistent, its over twice as hard as titanium and stainless steel, trying to track down hard numbers, but it appears to have better wear resistance than tungsten carbide. Anamorphic metals have some great properties.
I've worn a tungsten ring for 6 years now, and it's virtually scratch proof. I've taken off the ring and scratched it as hard as I can on cement, brick, metal files, anything.. and still not a scratch on it.
If this liquid metal stuff is more wear resistant than tungsten carbide, I would be flabbergasted. All I can say is I love my AAPL stock.
So how is this likely to play out in Apple's product lines?
Will this quickly or slowly replace all the aluminum or steel components? Can they mill this stuff like aluminum for unibody cases? What is the material cost in comparison to aluminum?
This posting reads way to much like a press release and too little like journalism.
Chances are they won't use it for large-scale casing at it is an exotic and there is no recycle stream for it - but for handheld devices, sure. Once a recycle is in place (if practical) then larger scale casings make sense. Based on the information available - it reads ok for me. Trying to pry loose information - especially on exotics and then extrapolating what they can be used for is not practical if you're looking for a news item. Now a research paper, maybe...
Apple has entered into an exclusive agreement to utilize amorphous metal alloys with unique atomic structures, allowing products that are stronger, lighter, and resistant to wear and corrosion
Hopefully cheaper too. All the metal unibody designs have increased the prices of the laptops.
The weight should be able to drop in the Mac Pro too but we'll see.
Not sure this would have anything to do with the iPhone. I see this as more related to MBP cases. iPhone seems to be going in a different direction using more glass then metal.
The iPad and other larger mobile devices would be good examples where metal alloys could be used.
If you combine Zr-alloy with Corning Gorilla Glass do you get ‘Transparent aluminum?’ (Anyone still remember Star Trek?)
Both glass and metals can be doped (or alloyed in the case of metals) to create the industrial raw materials of today. With glass you start with metalloid silicon element (e.g., from sand) and dope them with all sorts of other elements (including metallic elements), compounds or subtances to form all sorts of glass materials from transparent to opaque glass materials, and all sorts of colors.
Glass can be doped also with all sorts of other elements to make them more sturdy (e.g., gorilla glass), and can remain transparent -- very critical in the screens of smartphones using touch technology.
There are more metallic elements (aluminum, gold, tin, copper, titanium, to name a few) to choose from, as starting materials to manufacture metal alloys. However, I am not familiar with any transparent metallic alloy though.
Glass, even gorilla glass, is always more fragile than metals. Glass can shatter or break at much lower stress forces relative to metal alloys. Metallic alloys may bend or dent, but not shutter, upon stress or on impact.
Thus, metal alloys and glass have different optimal functions and uses in mobile devices. as far as casings and outer components are concerned.
Actually, I do not understand the technological rationale for using glass for the back casing even for smaller devices, like a smartphones. I was surprised therefore when the iPhone 4 used glass for the backcasing. It is mostly aesthetic that is lost in the white iPhone 4. One possible technical rationale for "glass backcasing" would have been using the back as "solar battery" area; but that may be a different "glass" technology altogether. Apple has an approved patent for solar powered technology for mobile devices.
CGC
Yeah, and the iPhone 4 steel band is a custom alloy as well already. I don't see them replacing that anytime soon.
This could be useful for future iPads since what you want is something that's strong and rigid but lightweight.
For those referencing that janky idea about having metal backplates on the next iPods, it only makes sense if this metal is radio-transparent.
Hmm?.. Actually as long as you have external antennas, backplates don't need to be radio transparent. See, the iP4 antenna design is a good step in the right direction preparing the way for even more radical design solutions.
I think this is just an intermediate solution. While adamantium would be a decent choice, I'm holding out for mirthil. Powered by dilithium crystals of course.
Mithral is pretty good, but cuendillar is much better. You can make your part out of anything first, and then turn it into cuendillar afterwards, so it's really easy and inexpensive to make things into it. You do need someone with the One Power to make the change though.
No. The T-1000 and T-X both used mimetic poly-alloy. The T-X used this for its outside coating since it had an internal structure.
Hey, maybe Arnie can get a job soon as a spokes-terminator for Apple, touting the benefits of his new poly-alloy Apple core.
Or tout the benefits of an Apple electric car (the Kali-fornicator special) (sorry bout that).
Ahll be baack, after these messages from Apple.
Is this the same substance used to make the T-1000 Terminator?
That was the first thing that popped into my head as well, when I read Liquidmetal.
Will this quickly or slowly replace all the aluminum or steel components? Can they mill this stuff like aluminum for unibody cases? What is the material cost in comparison to aluminum?
Actually it's big claim to fame in this area is that it can be injection moulded, like thermoplastics. That means they could ditch the milling entirely. It costs a LOT more money than aluminum, but my guess is for small amounts of material the milling costs might be more than the material.
VERY interesting development.
Maury
Here is a quote from the DigiTimes rumor that now sticks out:
"The CDMA iPhone's back plate will be forged from metal materials."
Curiouser and curiouser.
Doesn't that seem unlikely though, since metal would block radio signals? (There's a reason the iPhone 4 has a glass back.) Or does this new Liquidmetal alloy not block RF? If so, that's a pretty interesting feature of the material.