Replies to post #200936 on Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[joshuaeyu]

BTW, Yihao has plenty of MIM machines to fulfill SS MIM order.

[The Paraclete]

Not sure why implant device needs smooth finish.

For one thing, smooth surfaces are much less prone to become the seat of infections. Keep in mind that the body is under constant attack by dozens of different, naturally occurring bacteria. It's very easy to seed the blood with them. Happens all the time. (Have you ever seen a tiny amount of blood on your toothbrush, or scraped your hand, or bit your tongue, or wiped........)? For another, it's much easier and more effective, to sterilize smooth surfaces. Rough surfaces act as caves for bacteria to hide in.

One does need to bake the raw cookie dough off the MIM machine.

I can't address that. I'm on a diet and I do not eat cookies.

Medical customer DID not accept AMM as solution for ME TOO product simply based on WHY change...

Friend, if medical customers aren't accepting of AMM, this company its just spinning its wheels.

Keep in mind Pacemaker cost $5000 while the enclosure case is only $50.

That's funny. While I think you are correct that the case costs about $50, it's laughable to think that the cost to manufacture a pacemaker is $5,000. (Actually, the cost of the newer pacemakers, as billed to the patient who has no insurance, is closer to $6,000 these days.) There is a huge mark up over and above actual manufacturing costs. And if you think that saving $10 or so per case isn't important to the customer who sells them in a very tight and highly competitive market, think again. (Are you unaware of how Tim Cook squeezes every nickel out of his parts suppliers? Same principle applies in the medical device industry.)

PH did not succeed in supplant MIM for ME TOO product. PH should know much better with his MIM background.

Surely you are joking with me. Paul was up against A LOT more than just the cost of the material. In the first place, when Hauck was around, the cost of the alloys, and the manufacturing costs, were much higher than they are today. MUCH HIGHER. So that one point alone nullifies your argument. But even more important, Paul was working for a company that had no means of filling large volume orders. Steipp was under the delusion that the customer would somehow force an independent CM to buy the equipment needed to fill the order. A main reason LQMT was able to land its first real contract is the Yihao Metal connection, thanks to Lugee. The Lake forest "Design Center of Excellence" was a joke. So you can't look to Paul's experience in MIM and conclude that the reason he couldn't sell was that customer wasn't interested in ME TOO applications.