Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[Watts Watt]

I find the knife pretty much an expensive but worthy and interesting novelty.

I regard it more as an excellent teaching tool for the various attributes of liquidmetal (order of listing is not meant to impart any meaning):

1-Corrosiveness
2-Springiness (particularly of the unlock-lock tab button)
3-Ability to be sharpened easily, but still retain a razor edge
4-ability to be permanently labeled (laser etching)
5-the complexity of the shape, barrel joint, easily net-shaped upon perfection of the mold
6-other attributes which are unlisted

When it comes to the injection molding process and necessity for designing a part which can be readily injection molded, I find the knife to be exemplary for demonstation of:

1-necessity for designing in draft angles for efficient parts ejection
2-necessity for maintaining a fairly uniform wall thickness throughout (roughly 2-2.5 mm)
3-the netshaped outcome yielding tight tolerances for the barrel joint to be effective.

Apart from that, I still maintain that the knife design had to yield to the limitations of the machine platen size. I would have preferred to have a larger version of this knife with improvement on the grip and leverage with which one can readily use this knife for more testing applications. Like several others, I do not find this knife particularly comfortable to use.

PS A squirt of WD40 provides just enough lubricosity to overcome some of the inertia of the barrel joint.

Everyone have a great weekend sleeping with their knife in the closed position.

PS For those who care, this is both an historical post and positive post. For those who don't, I suggest the ignore feature.