Three prototype programs appear as amorphous metal injection molding in the enormous potential for medical device applications.
"Medical circles, there is a huge amount of interest," Tom Steipp,CEO Liquidmetal technologies (Ranch Santa Margarita, CA), plastic said today in an interview.
Amorphous metal molded selling points include:
Compact size and ergonomic shape,
Production line of plastic injection molding,
Solid material and thin walls
Corrosion resistance and
Non-magnetic (MRI compatibility).
In an interview with reporters, said: biocompatibility of Steipp amorphous metal technology is still in testing, "has nothing to do but to date, said it would be a problem. ”
Engel liquid metal forming machines.
Liquid metal is a unique development of the California Institute of technology in the early 1990 of the 20th century material.
After conventional alloy is cooled to solid state, they generally crystallize geometry type structure built in weak point. Liquid, amorphous, solid state, liquid atomic structure makes them significantly more. Technology has been working, but in the past 15 months since Engel's development breakthrough received a significant boost in the injection molding machine.
The company has signed a licensing agreement, Apple and swatch to raise much-needed cash, and is actively working with potential customers in the oil and gas sector, several prototype, sporting fields, and medical work.
Immediate target is the current processing of metals or parts made of metal powder injection molding. One example is the jaw for surgical instruments.
"MIM is a lower-cost technical challenges is maintaining strict tolerances in three ways," Steipp said. "We can accommodate tolerances, plus or minus an inch to 234 per thousand. MIM holdings plus or minus of 3 per thousand per inch.
Near plastic molding is one advantage to using technology, you can design more complex components, the integration of components, increased functionality and reduce the secondary processing.
"If our goal is to take part in processing or even part of the MIM and its liquid metal, this process will go faster, and you will find what is specially designed for injection differs from processing as part of part of or MIM."
Companies exploring the possibility of medical devices using amorphous metal is one of Israel's company called Medinol, which makes distribution from Cordis, Johnson (Johnson&Johnson) the company's heart stents. Currently it supports made of traditional metal, such as stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloy, nitinol.
A Medinol patents approved in February, describes a helical Stent made of expandable, which has a wavy pattern of structure of spiral wound flat or tubular metal amorphous metal alloy.
ConforMIS company (Burlington, Massachusetts) reference potential uses of Liquidmetal joint replacement surgical tools in several recent patents.
Dr Jacob (KOBI) Richter Medinol's co-founder, has been patented by a Zulu holding "a new class of medical devices and implants, including amorphous metal alloy.
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Keywords: international news, plastic injection molding machine
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