Replies to post #44692 on Liquidmetal Technologies Inc (LQMT)

[Tahoma]

At current it seems the life expectancy is
10,000-1,000,000 units.

which is on par for precision plastics according to BASF.

http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/metal-injection-molding

Using netshaping they say 150,000 shots

http://www.netshapetech.com/Uploads/files/NetShape_MIM_design_guide.pdf

MIM
http://www.mimaweb.org/Tech_compar.htm

[technichart]

If magnesium is any indication, it's a few hundred thousand shots before replacement which I believe is better than casting. Plastic molds will last almost indefinitely if maintained. Tooling amortization can be a significant expense for metals.