A New Tune How Liquidmetal Can Make Music What Is Liquidmetal?

A new tune how Liquidmetal can make music What is Liquidmetal?

A technology breakthrough Liquidmetal acoustics that leverages specific alloys, a molding process, and a team Are you looking for a new of experts to manufacture sound or trying to recapture an amorphous alloy components. old sound? Are you interested in how the next generation The process begins with a zirconium based alloy crystalline ingot. This of materials can impact the ingot is melted at roughly 1000°C and way musical instruments are injected under pressure into a near- designed and customized for an standard injection mold. During the ever expanding variety of artistic molding process the metal is cooled styles? rapidly, “freezing” the material in a random atomic structure. A recent study revealed amorphous metal alloys to be acoustically thought- This random atomic structure reveals provoking and relevant to a wide variety series of powerful manufacturing of musical instrument applications. A capabilities: minimal shrinkage (0.4%), Liquidmetal monolithic metallic glass precision (±0.0008”), and complex alloy tuning fork has been shown to net-shape molding in a single step. In transmit acoustic energy efficiently and addition, upon ejection from the mold, more uniformly across a broad range of Liquidmetal has a host of impressive audible frequencies than an equivalent material properties: high strength (1524 frequency tuning fork manufactured MPa), hardness (53 HRC), elasticity from stainless steel. (1.8% of original shape), and corrosion resistance that significantly outperforms Additionally, the Liquidmetal fork stainless steel. was measured to produce the same amplitude and sustain as a steel fork of It is important to note that these three times greater mass. Furthermore, properties are set out of the mold. the strength, hardness, elasticity, and Because Liquidmetal is a one-step other unique physical properties of the molding process, unlike MIM, the Liquidmetal fork ensure that it cannot properties of the component are be dented or bent out of shape (try imparted during forming, and cannot it), thereby increasing its effectiveness be changed. In addition to material as a reliable transmitter/resonator of properties, surface finish is also of note. acoustic energy. Additional benefits Because the material mimics the mold, include molded precision and detail whatever surface finish is imparted in (see lettering on stem), superior the mold cavity, will be imparted into resistance to corrosion without coating, the component. and durability. Relative Amplitude Differences in Harmonics

1 Liquidmetal LM105 “E” 0.9 Stainless steel “E” 0.8

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0.1 Normalized Amplitude of Harmonics

0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Harmonic

Summarizing the tuning fork

• Amorphous “Liquidmetal” atomic arrangement has no grain boundaries which can reflect high frequencies. • Frequency accuracy is ±0.25 Hz or about 1 cent at 440 Hz. • No audible “Clang” frequency (the pitch roughly 6x the fundamental frequency of the resonator) when fork is first struck. • Same dB amplitude and sustain output as a chrome coated stainless steel fork which had 3x more mass. • Glass-like elastic properties mean that the fork cannot be bent out of shape, and makes it difficult to dent or scratch. • Lower thermal expansion coefficient than Stainless 17-4 or Aluminum. • Advantageous acoustic wave energy transmission properties (efficient and more uniform across a wide band of audible frequencies). • Molded lettering is as durable as the bulk material, contains detail on the order of micrometers. • Without any coating, the Liquidmetal surface will never rust or tarnish. liquidmetal.com

250 μm

Molded-in note on the Liquidmetal tuning fork.

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