John Kang is a surgical oncologist, a renowned doctor with a highly ethical practice. His medical work was highly praised till now but it is his work with liquid metals that is catching the attention of the media at the moment. John Kang, Liquidmetal Coatings LLC CEO, talks about what Liquidmetal is and what practical uses exist for it in real life.
What Is Liquidmetal?
John Kang MC highlights that Liquidmetal is practically a commercial name for a specific amorphous metal alloys series. This is basically a brand name and not an actual name for a material. It has been used for years now in medical instruments, consumer products, and even military aerospace.
Liquidmetal Properties
What is really interesting with Liquidmetal is that it does not excel in just one area. It shows various desirable properties for consumers and manufacturers. What is particularly notable is the fact that this alloy has really high tensile strength. At the same time, we are faced with high wear resistance, corrosion resistance and an elastic quality that allows slow stored energy release.
John Kang goes on to say that such qualities make the use of Liquidmetal ideal for end users, although manufacturers are also really interested. Basically, Liquidmetal is dense and has a varied atom mix featuring low free volume. This practically means that exact melting point will not be clear-cut, which is normally the case with the crystalline metals. Liquidmetal does behave like glass that would gradually melt as the temperature increases.
We should also mention that when faced with a high temperature, Liquidmetal gains plastic character. The substance can easily be controlled and remolded. The company that does produce high complex casing volumes want to use something like this exactly because of how easy it is to use Liquidmetal in manufacturing operations.
At the end of processing, Liquidmetal leaves a result that is stronger and lighter than aluminum and titanium.
Some Real World Uses
The big advantage of Liquidmetal is instantly noticed in various real world scenarios. Right now we see the alloy being utilized in MP3 players, USB flash drives, smartphone cases and even in luxury watch casings. That is because of the really high wear and impact resistance, although manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to take the material to the next level.
The very interesting Liquidmetal commercial uses become visible in sporting goods. This metal can easily release and store large energy amounts over time. John Kang says that this is the property that has been used for a long time now in golf club heads design, tennis racquets, and skis. It is also quite possible this property will lead household consumer product manufacturers towards using Liquidmetal in the future.
Conclusions
Liquidmetal is not properly understood because not much knowledge is available about it. As you can see, there are different properties that are highly beneficial for various uses. Consumer products are being manufactured with the use of Liquidmetal and brand new uses will appear in the future thanks to companies like Liquidmetal Coatings LLC.