Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[darknight23]

Good news.

Three factors are converging that will have important implications for materials engineering of cars and trucks. All could contribute to greater use of precision molded metals and plastics.

One comes in the context of the powder metal market. The Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) states in its annual State of the Industry report that close-tolerance European and Asian engineering standards for power train components are now becoming global standards.

“For example, in North America a Class 8 gear is normally acceptable, while European engineers require Class 9 and 10 gears,” says MPIF President Richard Pfingstler. “This trend has had the effect of forcing U.S. parts makers to meet tighter or ‘Europeanized’ tolerance requirements of less than 10 microns across the board.”

One impact is reduced use of powder metal parts. Another is to increase use of grinding and machining to achieve desired tolerances, steps that add significant cost. Another impact could be increased use of net shape metal injection molding.

http://www.themoldingblog.com/2015/06/03/new-engineering-standards-lightweighting-point-to-mim-cfrp/