Liquidmetal technology is set to create access to new material classes and product properties. Engel Austria supplies system solutions for injection molding processing of Liquidmetal materials.
Liquidmetal is a class of material that has new properties. The zirconium alloys have an amorphous (non-crystalline) structure which is why they are also called metallic glasses. Components made with these materials are very hard, but also highly elastic, giving them very good elastic behavior. While steel, for example, has an elasticity of 0.2% and titanium that of 1%, the characteristic value for components made of Liquidmetal alloys is 2%. Furthermore, the materials have a very low specific gravity and are highly resistant to corrosion. This range of properties makes these alloys of interest for use in highly demanding mechanical precision components.
As an exclusive machine construction partner of the US supplier Liquidmetal Technologies in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Engel Austria GmbH sells these Liquidmetal materials as the world’s only supplier of system solutions for injection molding processing. This technology was introduced to the public at Engel’s company symposium in June.
According to Engel Austria, this process has great potential especially for medical technology. During the symposium, presenters used a Liquidmetal alloy to make parts for medical forces, for example. It should also be conceivable to create total joint prostheses, such as hip joints, or stents.
Thanks to its excellent mechanical properties, this material can be used to make very robust parts with thin walls. Also opening up is a wide range of applications in the electronics, aeronautics and astronautics, and sporting equipment industry. The first applications were implemented in the entertainment electronics industry and clock and watch industry.
Engel developed a new injection molding machine based on its all-electric e-motion machine series to be able to process these materials in injection molding. The major difference compared to a traditional injection molding machine for processing plastics is on the injection side of the Liquidmetal machine: the Liquidmetal alloys are available in the shape of slugs cut from rods. An automated machine feeds these blanks into a melting chamber where the material is heated through induction under high vacuum conditions. Instead of an auger, the machine has a piston that is used to inject the molten metal alloy into a tempered tool. The amorphous structural shape that is responsible for the special properties is formed by rapid cooling under exclusion of oxygen. Standard robots are used to remove the components. The sprue can be removed, among others, by means of a water-jet cutting machine or mechanical scissors.
According to information from Engel, Liquidmetal is an alternative to metal injection molding (MIM) and CNC processing, and it produces ready-to-use components with very high surface quality in one step and in short cycles. Compared to CNC processing, injection molding is quicker and less cost-intensive. Sophisticated three-dimensional precision parts with very high quality surface can be made through milling, drilling, sanding, and lathing. Compared to injection molding, however, these manufacturing processes are very time-consuming and cost-intensive. The MIM process is also an injection molding technique, but it processes metal and plastic powder, not metal alloys. Heat has to be used to remove the plastic after injection molding, and the finished part has to be sintered. Also, reworking of the rough surfaces created by sintering is usually necessary. These additional process steps can take a lot of time—depending on section thickness.
Liquidmetal technology does not come with any of these disadvantages. The cycle times needed to make ready-to-use precision parts range between two to three minutes. Another advantage to Liquidmetal processing is that it does not create any waste since the sprues can be recycled.
The licenses for the new process are being issued by Liquidmetal Technologies. Engel Austria supplies the injection molding solutions to the license partners. A Liquidmetal machine is available for individual demonstrations and initial sampling in the technology center at Engel’s headquarters in Schwertberg, Austria. op
Additional information about the manufacture of injection molding machines: www.engel.at about Liquidmetal Technologies: http://liquidmetal.com/
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