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Please read 105 biocompatible blog:
"The tests performed thus far only fulfill one part of the requirements for the implantation category as listed in Table A.1 of ISO10993-1. The material passed all tests for tissue/bone contact with limited contact duration of < 24 hours. Therefore, at this point in the evaluation, the material is not precluded from being used in an implant device, but a number of tests would still be required before consideration."
It further reads: Update - "Liquidmetal’s amorphous alloy LM105 has recently undergone several ISO-10993 biocompatibility tests, including long term implant studies to ensure the material is suitable for use in medical devices. These successful test results are important to LM105’s success in offering solutions to a broad range of potential applications."
This is done by third party to show customer that material is viable for implant. This has not yet been completed by LQMT. Customer wants to see this before they spend their own money for their specific need testing.
Biocompatibility does not equal implants.
Implantables are a different, more stringent testing process. 106C has not completed this process yet. Note the statement in the blog "This process confirmed the material’s suitability for minimally invasive medical devices".
From latest Liquidmetal Design Guide:
Medical: "Broad range of device applications for actuation components, clamping, cutting, piercing, sealing, stapling, suturing
(Biocompatibility studies are underway to determine if LM106c is suitable for implants.)
Note: Implant studies underway.
4. 106C provides better finish right out of the mold versus 105, hence less post processing.
5. Most importantly, 106C LESS EXPENSIVE than 105. Making it cost effective for all of those RFP's that rejected 105 due to cost.
6. 106C NOT part of CIP, versus 105. Hence potential for revenue from CE.
Wow, 700 gram parts are now capable with 106C and Eontec's machines. It's clear now why Engel was dropped. No comparison. This part size opens many new markets that were not previously available.
It is nice to see that a number of retailers now have the Asus Zenphone 6 in stock and for sale here in the US. Took a while for them to be stocked. So anyone can go buy a non-Apple CE product here in the US with liquid metal in it. I would think that if Apple did not want this, they would have stopped it by now.
This would be huge for LQMT if US carriers started using/selling Huawei phones and 5G in home devices. Trade agreement with China is needed and will greatly help this company once this is in place.
Yes, but the share price will move based on the active float, which is far smaller than the total outstanding shares. Market cap doesn't mean much, $1-$5B is still considered small cap. Hell, Eon is nearly $1B market cap right now!
Your link for this article doesn't work. Can you repost the link?
Thanks
Since Eontec and LQMT do not have intentions to compete against each other, they each have their own designated geographic areas. So conceptually they will each prosper from their areas. Mind you Eontec will prosper more as it is their machines being sold. But they also have much higher operating costs. LQMT operating costs will be cut to a vert small amount (my guess about $3-4M annually). So they will not need to be producers, just licensers to make enough to be profitable. Li is making all the right moves to make LQMT profitable.
Read my post fully, I stated they purchased a small number of machines and tried to produce, and failed miserably.
LQMT never "directly manufactured " anything. They had licensing agreements with Engel for machines and with Materion for raw materials. All they have done is change licensing partners to Eon who has a process to actually mass produce. And (most importantly) they have the partners to spend the capital to make mass production available. This was NEVER going to happen with Engel and Materion.
Yes, they did try to buy a few machines to produce small batches in house, which failed (as expected). Partnering/licensing with entities that can purchase equipment and materials in bulk for mass production is the way forward.
Josh, do you know if Eon's machines can be put on 2nd or 3rd floors? I imagine the weight would be significant.
"Currently, the main technology available for the large-scale forming of BMG parts with a complex shape is the injection molding process developed by Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. [11]. In this approach, the mother alloy is melted by induction heating in a horizontal cold-crucible, and then molten metal is confined to a specific area by a magnetic field. When the metal is completely melted, the molten metal is injected into the mold using a plunger rod, forming a BMG part. However, there is an Achilles heel in this approach, that is, the non-uniformity of the temperature field during heating, mainly caused by the horizontal layout of the cold-crucible. The non-uniformity of the heating would result in the sometimes-incomplete melting of the master alloy, thereby weakening the glass forming ability [12] and inducing the instability of the product quality [13,14]. Besides, as a commercialized technology, the injection molding of a BMG route is very confidential, and few results have been reported in an academic paper, which is disadvantageous to the prosperity of the related disciplines. Therefore, exploring a new but more general approach to achieve the large-scale production of BMG parts becomes increasingly urgent and necessary."
"The temperature of the molten metal is detected and controlled using an infrared sensor. It should be emphasized here that the EPV-HPDC process is different from the injection of a molding solution of BMGs [11], as well as from the traditional vacuum assisted HPDC [19]. The layout of the vertical and hot crucible in the present EVP-HPDC can guarantee a more uniform and controllable temperature field during heating, compared with that in the solution of horizontal and cold crucible proposed by Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, USA) [11]."
This is why Li said "Bu By" to Engel. His machine process is cheaper and better, which is why we will be first to mass production.
Another take away from the article, Vit105 was noted to be used in the Die Cast machine. Meaning that LM105 formula should be able to be used in Eon's machines, just like 106C.
This paper sheds more light on why we changed over, and shows that mass production is all coming together now.
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2019/10/sharp-is-developing-several-different-foldable-smartphones.html
Sharp has now joined the foldable smartphone race. And even more interesting is they are looking at foldable gaming devices.
Another market where BMG hinge can be applied.
Expect another article from JB now that this information is released.
There is metal inside of them, but Apple never discusses materials.
I still think they need to improve upon the design as you still can’t change the battery in this new model. So in two years when the battery goes, I guess you toss them or pay $100 and they will give you a replacement pair. Samsung and other brands can be taken apart to replace the battery.
Considering the speed at which this certification was achieved, I am going with #3 on your list.
Yes, the majority of the medical market is minimally invasive devices. Considering the resources being used against Kang, it doesn't look to be small potatoes.
Agree, the vast majority of medical device business will be "minimally invasive " parts.
Implantables will be a smaller market.
Seems to be in line with what we were told in July: "LAKE FOREST, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Liquidmetal® Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: LQMT) (the “Company”), a leading developer of amorphous alloys and composites, today announced that, as a result of its comprehensive strategy review, it has approved a restructuring plan (the “Restructuring Plan”) under which the Company seeks to significantly reduce its operating costs, rely on its manufacturing partnerships, and focus its current resources on sales, marketing, and industry development. The Restructuring Plan is the culmination of the Company’s recent reevaluation of its current and forecasted business outlook and resulting decision to shift the Company’s focus from manufacturing operations at its Lake Forest, California, facility to the outsourced manufacture of the Company’s products. Under the Restructuring Plan, the Company will continue to develop domestic and international manufacturing partnerships. By leveraging the operations of established manufacturers, the Company intends to create a more efficient and cost-effective operational structure, with a more streamlined focus on sales, marketing, project development, and customer support, while benefiting from significant reductions in its operating costs. The Restructuring Plan preserves the Company’s core intellectual property and financial resources."
So they are moving out of LF and will probably share space with whoever the domestic manufacturing partner turns out to be. Perhaps in a larger facility (after seeing how big Yihao actually is).
Foxconn is already a supplier.
Huawei is capable of supplying as they have their own BMG machines.
Yihao could be the third, albeit much smaller with only 90 machines.
There is your three suppliers capable of quoting for the whale.
They do, josh posted a pic of the Huawei camera assembly a few months ago and it matched the pic on Yihao’s website.
Huawei is definitely using BMG in their camera modules and hinges (falcon wing) from Li’s maze.
No they have to be held for a certain period or set terms. And the posters reasoning makes no sense because you still want the share price as high as possible if you were to exercise them. It means you buy them at 8 cents then you can sell them for whatever the market price is. So they pretty much hold no value to him at present.
https://www.dw.com/en/chinas-gdp-growth-slows-to-27-year-low/a-50881319
Trade War is having an impact on this company, like it or not. China is taking the brunt of it (despite what the media spins) and it needs to be solved soon.
I don't even know where to start with this.
So you are saying LQMT partnered with Yihao but cannot make any revenue from Yihao because Yihao is only using 106?
Again, think about it...no sense. Of course LQMT has rights to 106, why would they partner with Yihao if not? This should not even be up for discussion.
As for CE, we do not know anything how this will play out with 106? Any statement is pure speculation.
If 106c doesn't belong to LQMT, and the LQMT people at the booth said Yihao will only use 106c, then how can LQMT be partnered with Yihao as they have publicly stated if all LQMT can produce is 105?
Think about it...
Contrary to another poster, 106C was jointly developed between Liquidmetal Technologies and Yihao Metals and Liquidmetal has full rights to it. Josh has posted slide presentations from Li showing 106c listed under LQMT. So this needs to be made clear. Whether it can be used in CE is unknown at this point.
105 was developed solely by Liquidmetal Technologies and belongs to them. It is more expensive, it had various medical use approvals that 106c doesn't have (yet). So it still has applications in medical.
Liquidmetal is looking for a domestic partner in the US which will likely be for 105 production and medical use (near term). If 106c gets medical approval, then long term may replace 105 as it is much cheaper.
106c is the key to moving LQMT to mass production as it is cheaper than stainless and many aluminum alloys. 105 is more of a niche product.
Really, so you are saying Materions BMG is as cheap as Li’s?
Did you go to the open house and speak to the Materion reps? Why do you think they stated that they planned to cut their BMG price by up to 70%. Just for the hell of it? Common man, stop the spin.
Just keep waiting for that pop so you can move on...
Let me simplify your long winded post. Engel and materion were no longer use because of cost. Plain and simple.
https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-patent-application-covers-phone-with-retractable-screen_id119798
Interesting new patent from Samsung with similar camera gear mechanism at Asus’s liquid metal camera.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-huawei-tech-licensing-exclusive/exclusive-huawei-in-early-talks-with-us-firms-to-license-5g-platform-huawei-executive-idUSKBN1WY010
This is an interesting development. Should this occur, it could mean a windfall for LQMT. The only question is would our government allow it.
Good one, LOL!
Fact: Eontec's share price has doubled YTD.
Fact: Eontec's market cap right now is $826M USD, and that is with zero hype and nominal profits.
Fact: LQMT has now partnered with Yihao Metal to produce BMG parts for LQMT. They currently have 40 machines in operation, plan to have 90+ machines by year end and have 200,000 sq. ft. Of manufacturing space.
Fact: LQMT CEO has dramatically cut head count and operating costs at LF. Expect a quarterly operating cost of $1M or less each quarter in 2020.
Fact: As of LQMT last financial report, they had a total of $32M in free cash. And nominal long term liabilities.
You really think the Chinese couldn't figure out how to make BMG without having to buy LQMT?? Seriously?