Extra protective cases for your smartphones
A new smartphone case is lightweight, thin, harder than steel, and as easy to shape as plastic. What’s the catch? But you have to wait to purchase them.
To watch video just follow this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd370rlvT5M
Jan Schroers, mechanical engineering and materials science teacher at Yale University, developed the technology for the cases in his lab and wants to bring the product into mass production.
“This material is 50 times harder than plastic, nearly 10 times harder than aluminum, and almost three times the hardness of steel,” Schroers says. “It’s awesome.”
academic and commercial institutions have sought an effective technique for shaping these bulk metallic glasses (BMGs).
Electronics casings, in particular, have been identified as a desirable application.
academic and commercial institutions have sought an effective technique for shaping these bulk metallic glasses (BMGs).
Electronics casings, in particular, have been identified as a desirable application.
He utilized a unique, supercooled liquid state for the material, in which the BMG softens sufficiently to allow for shaping,Instead of melting the BMG material and forcing it into a mold at high temperatures, With this technique, BMGs can be shaped like plastics.
From there, Schroers focused on producing BMGs in sheets. That form, he reasoned, is the most conducive to practical, manufacturing applications.
“Developing a fabrication method for BMG sheets has been extremely difficult because it requires a fundamentally different process,” Schroers says. “We succeeded recently, with a surprisingly versatile process that is fast, precise, and economical.”
Schroers’ method produces sheets that can be used in standard manufacturing
operations and blow-molded into an array of shapes.
Schroers has focused on smaller-scale, specialty production items, including
watch components and sensors. Smartphone cases were a natural, but challenging, next step.
“It’s obvious. The important properties in a cell phone case are hardness and weight,” Schroers says.
He and his team produce the cases by blow-molding BMG sheets into brass molds to precise specifications. It is the ability to design metal buttons into the sides of the case, which constitutes a huge advance in making smartphones more waterproof. With the right manufacturing partner, Schroers can scale up production by late 2015.
From there, Schroers focused on producing BMGs in sheets. That form, he reasoned, is the most conducive to practical, manufacturing applications.
“Developing a fabrication method for BMG sheets has been extremely difficult because it requires a fundamentally different process,” Schroers says. “We succeeded recently, with a surprisingly versatile process that is fast, precise, and economical.”
Schroers’ method produces sheets that can be used in standard manufacturing
operations and blow-molded into an array of shapes.
Schroers has focused on smaller-scale, specialty production items, including
watch components and sensors. Smartphone cases were a natural, but challenging, next step.
“It’s obvious. The important properties in a cell phone case are hardness and weight,” Schroers says.
He and his team produce the cases by blow-molding BMG sheets into brass molds to precise specifications. It is the ability to design metal buttons into the sides of the case, which constitutes a huge advance in making smartphones more waterproof. With the right manufacturing partner, Schroers can scale up production by late 2015.
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