Introducing the alloy that bests all others in strength, hardness and elasticity. And it’s as easy to mold as plastic. Learn about its amazing properties and upcoming uses (paper-like laptops, anyone?)

Plastic will probably be the furthest thing from your mind if you hold a tiny slab of LiquidMetal in your palm. A small chunk of this amazing alloy is blue-gray, resembles coal and feels as hefty as gold. And what’s more, its developers and marketers say that it’s stronger than and twice as hard as titanium or stainless steel. But LiquidMetal’s claim to fame is its plastic-like behavior at high temperatures.

Heated in its raw form to 750°F, the alloy turns into a malleable tar that can be molded like plastic. Then, when cooled quickly, it hardens into a tough, elastic material that is 250% stronger than oft-used titanium alloys and so smooth, paint doesn’t hold. Scientists say the alloy is like “metallic glass.”

Because of its ability to be molded like plastic, LiquidMetal can be cast with unheard-of precision—to within 1 micron or a 25,000th of an inch. That means that a single die can produce thousands of precise parts. Compare that to steel and titanium, which require multiple molds and need extra machining steps to bring them to spec.

For example, Chrysler’s steel pinion rod has to undergo 97 machining processes before it makes it into the assembly line. In contrast, LiquidMetal scalpel blades come out of their molds surgically sharp and ready for the operating table, says John Kang, the CEO of LiquidMetal Technologies, proprietor of the licensing rights to this remarkable alloy.

And surgical instruments represent only one potential use for the alloy. Along with medical devices, the company says the substance will enhance electronic product casings, sporting goods, space-exploration equipment, weapons, and industrial powders and coatings.

In fact, several manufacturers are already trying out the material for new products. One of them is Surgical Specialties, a medical equipment manufacturer, which is working on a LiquidMetal scalpel to supplant its stainless-steel blades.

In addition, Cleveland Golf, a maker of high-end golf clubs, is developing a LiquidMetal driver that can outperform its own titanium golf clubs. And both NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense are banking on LiquidMetal, with the latter creating new armor-piercing shells using the substance instead of depleted uranium.

LiquidMetal Technologies has even inked a full-scale production deal with Motorola. It will produce ultrathin cellphone casings for Motorola in its new factory in South Korea, and later on, the casings for its diminutive V70 cellphones.

What makes this alloy—a blend of beryllium, copper, nickel, titanium and zirconium—so extraordinary is its random atomic structure. When it cools, its atoms remain haphazardly scattered—instead of forming crystalline clumps. The material manages to retain the non-crystalline or amorphous structure that traditional alloys typically have in their molten state. Thus, LiquidMetal is able to dissipate energy and withstand tremendous pressure. As a result, it’s harder and more elastic than conventional alloys at normal temperatures.

“Amorphous alloys” such as LiquidMetal are “probably the most significant development in metallurgy in 50 years,” says Todd Hufnagel, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Before 1993, only thin solid forms of amorphous alloys could be made. But that year, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers boosted their commercial usage by finding a way to create them in bulk form, usable up to one inch in thickness. This made the alloys viable for not only powders and coatings, but also a range of products.

Tampa-based LiquidMetal Technologies licensed the bulk amorphous alloy technology from Caltech researchers. The company’s initial public offering in May 2002 raked in $70 million, but the wonder metal itself has yet to excel in generating money.

LiquidMetal’s biggest stumbling block is its cost. Producing a pound of LiquidMetal costs $12-15, while it’s only $3-5 for stainless steel and aluminum, and $6-15 for titanium. The company says it’s already making some headway. Kang says if the company’s partnership with Cleveland Golf works out, the cost of making parts for the new golf clubs will only be a fraction of what it was.

Kang has ambitious plans for the wonder metal. Instead of just licensing the alloy to equipment manufacturers like Motorola, he is steering the company towards manufacturing products on its own and becoming an industrial supplier of LiquidMetal parts and components. In fact, up to $45 million of the IPO money is going to the 150,000-square-foot factory in Korea. In addition, Kang has enlisted Silicon Valley industrial design company Ideo to help develop a LiquidMetal-encased laptop that you could roll up like a sheet of paper.

For the time being, LiquidMetal Technologies may be the sole supplier of this incredible metal, but the firm won’t be the only one offering amorphous alloys for long. Alcoa, Boeing, and Honeywell are already trying to produce their own versions, says Hufnagel. Thus the pressure is on to try to add one more accomplishment—generating huge profits—to the metal’s already impressive credentials.

Sources: Hasta La Vista, Titanium
Bill Richardson
Business 2.0, Oct. 2002
http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/print/0,1643,43538,00.html

Technologies Of The Year – LiquidMetal Alloys
Tonya Vinas
Industry Week, Dec. 1, 2002
http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/Asp/articles.asp?ArticleId=1352