Apple will build the future iPhone from Liquidmetal, says another former executive [Exclusive]

Apple will build the future iPhone and other gadgets from Liquidmetal, said a senior researcher at Liquidmetal Technologies, whose technology is licensed by Apple.

"I think they 'll be making the iPhone," said Dr. Jan Schroers, former director of research at Liquidmetal Technologies, the first company to commercially develop space – age technology. "It's pretty obvious what Liquidmetal has done in the past and what technology can do."

Apple has signed an exclusive agreement to use the intellectual property of Liquidmetal Technologies in consumer electronics products. Liquidmetal is a high strength metal that can be treated like plastic. NASA said it was "about to redefine the science of materials as we know it in the 21st century."

Dr. Schroers is the second leader of Liquidmetal to say that Apple has ambitious plans for the revolutionary material. Last week, Atakan Peker, co-inventor of the alloy, predicted that Apple could use Liquidmetal as a new antenna to replace the problematic part of the iPhone 4.

Speaking exclusively to CultofMac.com, Schroers said Apple could create very complex and stunning gadget cases by blow molding a molten alloy such as glbad. Schroers created Liquidmetal monoblock perfume jars using a blow mold (see photo below).

The technology could also create permanent holographic logos engraved directly into the metal or elaborate patterns generating color effects.

"You can really do new things with metal that were previously impossible," he said. "In two years, you could see something that the world has never seen in the metal."

Of course, Apple did not say anything about this deal. But CultofMac.com has learned that Liquidmetal Technologies has been making prototypes for Apple for at least two years. Apple also bought a SIM ejector pin to test its manufacturing capabilities live, which the company has adopted.

Schroers, who is now at Yale University, said it was likely that Apple would invest heavily in technology commercialization. Apple has a long tradition of cutting-edge avant-garde manufacturing techniques and its long-standing interest in design makes it likely to explore the capabilities of the material.

It could be used, for example, to create complex cases of gadgets. The above balloon is a blow molded container with a wall thickness of about 0.3 mm. It's completely transparent.

"No other metal processing process can manufacture this form," said Schroers. "It takes about 30 seconds to make and you're done."

Schroers said that it was trivial to incorporate very small features on the surface, such as holograms (see picture above), patterns generating colors or attaching d & # 39; other materials (see the picture below with gems inserted into a watch).

Schroers said Liquidmetal would also be a good material for making the chbadis of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, even big-screen screens. It is extremely lightweight and thin – much thinner than Apple's current frames – and could be incredibly rigid and sturdy.

Samsung has already been exploring prototypes of mobile phone chbadis that also serve as antennas, he said.

Subsequently, Liquidmetal technology can be used to manufacture nano – scale computer chips or extremely high – density memory technologies. When it is mixed with gold, it even has the potential of an exceptionally durable jewelry material (PDF).