World’s Most Advanced Machinery Was Reason For Apple’s Liquidmetal Deal

Apple’s recent deal with Liquidmetal Technologies will give it access to the most advanced manufacturing machinery on the planet. And probably Apple will soon start experimenting with a new machine.

• It may allow Apple to make advanced iPhone antennas and seamless gadget cases with holographic logos cast right into the metal.
• Made for the aerospace industry, it would have undergone several rounds of cutting, milling, drilling, threading, deburring, routing and sandblasting. Instead, the part was cast in one operation and requires no further processing.
• The alloys, also known as bulk metallic glasses, are as strong as titanium but use only one-third of the material. It can be mixed with very small amounts of precious metals to make jewelry-like finishes, or optimized for functions such as an antenna. Liquidmetal is scratch and corrosion proof, and resistant to greasy marks. You get fingerprints all over them and they just disappear.