A patent granted to Crucible Intellectual Property, the technology partnership formed by Apple and Liquidmetal Technologies, could enable mass production of amorphous metal alloys — otherwise known as metallic glass — in the fabrication of devices. The patent involves the creation of molten metal sheets that could be formed into an electronic device like the iPhone, or as part of a display, such as with a TV monitor. It notably suggests that Apple and Liquidmetal have developed a system to fabricate large pieces of the malleable material, which was previously considered difficult to commercialize due to mass manufacturing challenges.
Apple first gained an exclusive license to use Liquidmetal’s metal alloys in 2010. The two companies later extended their agreement to 2014. [via MacDailyNews]