Liquidmetal Technologies Produces Over 1 Million --And Counting-- High-Performance Hinge Components For Samsung Cell Phones
Wednesday January 21, 9:12 am ET
Purchase Order For New E715 and E3200 Models The Latest In Emerging Product Niche For Superior-Strength Amorphous Alloys
LAKE FOREST, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2004-- Liquidmetal® Technologies (Nasdaq:LQMT - News) today announced that Samsung Electronics is using high-strength Liquidmetal® alloys for the hinge housings of its new SGH-E715 and SCH-E3200 model mobile phones--the latest in a growing line of Samsung models featuring the revolutionary material in this critical-performance application.
The E715 and E3200 join Samsung's high-end SCH-E250 and SCH-V330 models already on the market and employing Liquidmetal hinge components. Shipments of hinge components for these models surpassed one million units in December, the amorphous alloy manufacturer reported.
All four Samsung models are flip-phone designs offering state-of-the-art multi-media features, including camcorder functionality, which require more complex circuitry in the handset and place greater demands on the performance of internal structural components.
Enter Liquidmetal alloys, revolutionary materials that are two-to-three times stronger than titanium but can be molded into precision cast parts. Samsung, the world's third-largest mobile phone maker, is the first to utilize Liquidmetal alloys in the housings that protect the all-important hinge on the flip-type handset of its top-performing models. The E715 and E3200 phones are among various Samsung models expected to launch in 2004 incorporating Liquidmetal alloy components produced at Liquidmetal's Pyongtaek, South Korea manufacturing plant.
"Samsung is setting new industry standards for design innovation and quality in their cell phone products, and Liquidmetal alloys are ideally suited for critical-performance, close-tolerance applications like hinge housings, where incumbent materials such as zinc, magnesium, stainless steel and even titanium have inherent design and performance limitations," said Liquidmetal Chairman and CEO John Kang. "This has the potential to be the launching point for a range of similar niche applications that would benefit from the strength and performance advantages of Liquidmetal alloys."
Kang explained that hinge components made with lower-strength metals have less resilience to impact from dropping or the daily wear-and-tear of repeated flip-phone action--factors that can cause a hinge housing to "deform" and impede the smooth action of the hinge. Liquidmetal alloys, on the other hand, have superior yield strength and elasticity, properties that resist deformation and provide exceptional durability. In addition, structural parts made from Liquidmetal alloys can be die cast to thinner profiles while maintaining their superior strength, allowing more design space to accommodate new technology--an important advantage in light of increasing consumer demand for smaller products with ever-increasing functionality.
"It's an excellent example of the value proposition of Liquidmetal alloys: design flexibility and superior performance," Kang said. "We are pleased to be playing a supporting role in Samsung's acknowledged reputation for high-quality, cutting-edge products."
About Liquidmetal Alloys
Liquidmetal® alloys are a product of Lake Forest, California-based Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:LQMT - News), the leading developer of coatings, powders, bulk alloys and composites that utilize the performance advantages offered by amorphous alloy technology. Amorphous alloys are unique materials that are distinguished by their ability to retain a random atomic structure when they solidify, in contrast to the crystalline atomic structure that forms in ordinary metals and alloys. Liquidmetal Technologies is the first company to produce amorphous alloys in commercially viable bulk form, enabling significant improvements in products across a wide array of industries.
For additional product and marketing contact information, please visit the Liquidmetal Technologies website at liquidmetal.com, or direct phone inquiries to Liquidmetal Technologies-Marketing at 949-206-8021.
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