Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[Anax]

As promised, just another example of LM innovation:

METALLIC GLASS ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES AND METHODS FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE

The patent was filed in February 25, 2013 by ORMCO CORPORATION (Orange, CA, US)

Liquidmetal`s Prototype announcement in August 2013:

"The medical industry prototype shipment falls into the dental appliance category where the strength and resilience of Liquidmetal alloy provides remarkable advantages over current manufacturing methods"

Ormco`s Patent:

"A first aspect of the present invention relates to an orthodontic appliance for use in orthodontic treatment. The orthodontic appliance is selected from the group consisting of an orthodontic bracket, an orthodontic archwire, an orthodontic tool, and a discrete component thereof. The orthodontic appliance is made of a metallic glass."

"In particular, one of the casting processes practiced by Liquid Metal Technologies of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., is suitable for manufacturing a metallic glass orthodontic appliance."

"As is set out in detail below, it has been discovered that an orthodontic appliance made of metallic glass may be made smaller and/or made with specific features so as to provide the same or improved strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance compared to orthodontic brackets of stainless steel or ceramic. Advantageously, the smaller size or specific features may improve the aesthetic appeal of the orthodontic appliance when compared to the relatively larger stainless steel or titanium alloy appliances."

"In one embodiment, the reduced volume may include a reduction in the overall height, the overall width, and/or the length dimension of the bracket body 300 and/or the slide 306. The overall height may be at least about 10% less and may be from about 10% to about 80% less than a comparable body made of stainless steel and may be from about 25% to about 80% less than a comparable body made of ceramic or plastic. Similarly, the length dimension of the bracket body 302, which is measured generally from the occlusal side 312 to the gingival side 314 may be similarly less than a comparable body made of stainless steel. For example, the length dimension may be at least about 10% less and may be from about 10% to about 80% less. The overall width, which is measured generally from the mesial side 316 to the distal side 318, may be similarly smaller. It will be appreciated that the performance of the orthodontic bracket 300 may be the same or improved over comparatively larger stainless steel and titanium brackets."



"In embodiments of the invention, forming may include net shape or near net shape techniques. Net shape and near net shape techniques include those by which forming produces a component at or near its final dimensions in the absence of, or with very limited, post formation processing (e.g., grinding and/or polishing). Advantageously, manufacturing orthodontic appliances according to embodiments of the present invention is simplified relative to other processes for producing orthodontic appliances because there may be fewer process steps needed during production. In this regard, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention reduce production costs."

"As is set out above, embodiments of the present invention may require little, if any, after-formation processing because the formed components exhibit little or no shrinkage during or after formation. Thus, after forming the orthodontic appliance of a metallic glass, subsequent machining and/or finishing operations, such as tumbling, may not be required. In addition, because shrinkage is minimal, an orthodontic appliance or a discrete component thereof may be made or formed to tolerances of about one-half of the tolerance associated with MIM."

"According to embodiments of the present invention, orthodontic appliances made of metallic glass may exhibit superior performance relative to equivalent appliances made of stainless steel or titanium alloys. While the properties of the metallic glass may vary by composition, metallic glasses are known to have yield strengths from about 1500 MPa to about 2500 MPa due to a unique fracture mechanism known as shear banding. These yield strengths represent from about a 50% improvement to about a 400% improvement over some stainless steels, like 17-4, and over some Ti alloys, like Ti6Al4V. In addition, hardness of metallic glasses ranges from about 500 kg per mm2 to about 700 kg per mm2. This relative improvement over crystalline metals is likely due to the densely packed amorphous arrangement of the atoms. Similarly, fracture toughness generally falls within the range from about 75 MPavm to about 200 MPavm. The combination of properties may be referred to conceptually as “damage tolerance."

"Metallic glasses have a relatively high damage tolerance as compared to other engineering materials, such as those commonly used in orthodontics, for example, stainless steel, Ni-based, and Ti-based alloys. In addition to the relative improvement in damage tolerance over many engineering materials, metallic glasses exhibit improved corrosion resistance."

Ormco`s international distribution network:

http://www.ormco.com/about/authorized-dealers.php

Market for MIM brackets:
This article is from 2007!

"One of the earliest success stories for powder injection moulding (PIM) in the medical/dental field were the orthodontic brackets used for realigning teeth by progressive stressing. Such brackets were originally made by investment casting but as the requirement from dentists increased for ever smaller brackets with thin walls and blind pockets, so manufacturers turned to PIM or for the most part metal injection moulding (MIM). Global sales of orthodontic MIM brackets is estimated to be in the region of $130 million with a high proportion being produced in-house at companies such as American Orthodontics, Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Ortho Organisers, Unitek 3M, SDC Ormco, Dentaurum, Bernhard Förster GmbH. Other orthodontic companies buy in MIM brackets from producers such as Injectamax, Flomet, and World Class Technologies to name just a few. The selling price of MIM brackets through distributors ranges from $1 to $2 per piece, which is about double the manufacturing cost, but these can be sold on to dentists at prices from $3 to $10 per piece."

http://www.pim-international.com/pdfstore/Powder_injection_moulding_in_the_medical_and_dental_sectors#sthash.lG6vxqXw.dpuf