Q: Now that CNC is very mature and can carry out large-scale production, what is the difference between large-scale production of liquid metal and wire production?

A: This depends on what you are comparing to. If you compare it with ordinary stretched products, liquid metal is definitely expensive, because liquid metal materials are about 200 yuan a kilogram more expensive. If we die-cast liquid metal, we can make almost 90% of the finished product, so compared to expensive labor, mass production in this area is much cheaper. If we make our own box, if it's not complicated, it's over 100 yuan; if it's complicated, it's less than 200 yuan. If liquid metal were to be considered from the beginning of the design, it would have a slight advantage over current aluminum alloys in terms of cost.

Q: Will there be a difference in consistency between small batch production now and mass production later?

A: It can be said that there is almost no difference, because we rely on molds for production. Our mold life ratio is 30,000 to 40,000 pieces, and everything that comes out is about the same. Of course, for some small parts of some parts, we may need post-processing, such as polishing, etc.However, they are mostly accurate, and the repeatability is excellent. We like to compare liquid metal with powder metallurgy. Powder metallurgy will have a shrinkage rate of 22% to 24%, and horizontal shrinkage is not the same as vertical shrinkage. The shrinkage rate of liquid metal is slightly different. It is about 2.5 parts per thousand to 3.5 parts per thousand, which is very controllable, so the repeatability of liquid metals is very good.

Q: Currently, our technology is very advanced, but from the perspective of promotion, there are difficulties that need to be overcome. How can this problem be solved in the future?

A: We started promoting small items last year, and now we are starting to promote some relatively large products. This is mainly a process of customer recognition. The development has been pretty good so far. There is no definite point in time as to when it will be possible to successfully promote large products, but now the operating rate is getting higher and higher.

Q: The cooperation between Yian, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Liquidmetal actually controls some intellectual property rights related to liquid metals in terms of material costs, material processes, and equipment. Currently, their relative position is still relatively high, but they will still face some technical competition. What is the overall strategy in terms of intellectual property rights?

Answer: Liquidmetal has about 128 patents. These 128 patents protect almost all conceivable formulations or similar formulations, so no one else can sell liquid metal to the US; they must have Liquidmetal's authorization to do so. Liquidmetal itself has sufficient protection for intellectual property rights.

Q: Does Yian not position itself as a production enterprise. To a greater extent, it is an integration of resources, connecting technology and industry, specifically at the liquid metal level. Will the company want to be a production enterprise in the future, or will it be a resource-integrated enterprise as before?

Answer: Among production enterprises, Yian is a very small company, so small that companies like Apple and Samsung won't divide the market into our hands. We don't have enough machines to produce, and we don't have enough ability to manage a large number of machines, so we are looking for partners to make products, teach you how to do it, tell you the formula, and tell you the machinery, equipment, materials, etc. Yian only has ten to twenty machines. As a demonstration unit, Yian is a demonstration unit that connects with other familiar manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung.

Q: Currently, mobile phone frames cannot be completely replaced with liquid metal. What are the company's expectations for the penetration of such products?

A: Currently, only we can make liquid metal mobile phone frames, but it is impossible for slightly better mobile phone brands to find a single supplier; they need to shop around. Moreover, at present, our scale is still too small to carry such a huge market volume. Therefore, we are now actively promoting other enterprises to develop liquid metal products together, because we are limited in scale, so we hope to turn it into a sector, an industrial chain, with 20 or 30 companies working together to promote its development. From raw materials, machinery and equipment, processing, and application, this will go very slowly if we only rely on Yian technology, and it requires everyone's concerted efforts;

Q: In our long-term research on new materials, we discovered that if a new material has a special direction of application, then it will develop relatively quickly. This situation generally has two characteristics. One is that after use, its comprehensive cost will drop a lot, so downstream enterprises will have strong motivation to use it.The other is that the entire market must be big enough. Currently, everyone's focus is on mobile phone cases, but I don't think liquid metal has many comprehensive application cost advantages compared to aluminum alloy (the current iPhone case material) in terms of mobile phone cases, so apart from the field of mobile phone cases, are there any other fields that meet the above two characteristics?

A: Actually, in addition to the two points you just mentioned, another relatively special thing about mobile phones is that Jobs promoted liquid metal before his death, but there was no real success (only the clip pin used liquid metal). If liquid metal mobile phone cases can be made, there is also an obvious advertising effect and a gimmick in the field of application of Apple (the use of new materials often becomes a new selling point for mobile phone products). Currently, consumer electronics allow liquid metals to grow the fastest. First, because of the large number and broad demand, and second, the existence of Jobs and Apple phones has filled this market with a star effect, so when a phone case is produced, there will be a boisterous market effect for a year or two. The consumer electronics market can accept it, even if it's a bit expensive. Take Xiaomi as an example. The Xiaomi 4 told the story of a stainless steel journey during the product launch, which became its main selling point at the time. The cost of Xiaomi Mi 4 stainless steel was 250 yuan at the beginning, then dropped to 200 yuan after continuous improvements and large-scale production.

However, my liquid metal case only costs 180 yuan, and the price will be even lower in the future. Compared with stainless steel 304, the liquid metal case is unmistakably in a leading position regardless of price or price. Also, in the field of mobile phone cases, the strength of liquid metal exceeds its use value. The high strength of aluminum alloy is only 400 pa, while liquid metal has a minimum of 1000 pa, so there is no need to use advanced materials such as liquid metal. I myself have never placed consumer electronics as the number one application field for liquid metals. What I personally value the most is the automotive side, including automobile hinges, fasteners, locks, etc., and this amount is no less than consumer electronics;

Q: I'm a car display company. Considering that our car displays will get bigger and bigger in the future, when can liquid metal frames for displays over 10 inches be made?

A: We should be able to do it, but liquid metal is not very cost-effective for car displays. Liquid metal is a selling point for mobile phones, but not for car displays; it's hard to pay that premium for it. A small frame for a mobile phone costs 180 yuan, while the kind of frame for a car display costs 1,000 yuan. Not only is the price too expensive now, and consumers are unwilling to pay, but even if the cost is reduced later, the effect of liquid metal on the value of car displays is very limited

Q: The domestic patent environment is still quite bad. How are our domestic patents arranged? How many are there?

Liquid Metal itself has a huge patent pool. How can it be effectively connected?

A: We don't have many amorphous patents in China; there are more than a dozen. However, all of our patents can be used. Other companies have heard that they have 780, but I don't know if their patents are easy to use. However, our domestic patent is even easier to use than Liquid Metal. One of our patents can produce an antibacterial effect after adding an appropriate amount of silver to the liquid metal. Basically, 99% of Escherichia coli can be eliminated, and it has broad prospects in the fields of wearables, medicine, and electronics. Liquid Metal has been making liquid metal for more than 20 years, and has more than 120 patented technologies abroad, covering all aspects of mobile phone cases. A stake in Liquid Metal can guarantee that we will have an advantage in foreign intellectual property lawsuits in the future;

Q: Yian Technology has more than 20 devices, but it cannot meet the needs of some big 3C manufacturers. Is the rapid installation of equipment a bottleneck in the development of the industry?

A: No. Currently, materials and equipment manufacturing companies have found three partner companies. If everyone works together, the bottleneck is not a problem. Because Yian Technology is an R&D enterprise, it has no advantage in equipment production. In the future, we will jointly establish a joint venture with relevant material and equipment manufacturers. We will hold shares, grant intellectual property rights, and leave it up to everyone to sell, and jointly expand this market;

Q: The biggest characteristics of liquid metal are its high strength and high hardness. As a mobile phone case, this characteristic is relatively wasteful. It should actually be used in places where space is limited but carrying capacity requirements are high, but currently mechanical designers don't understand this material and need us to introduce some similar standards and production manuals. Do we have plans in this regard?

A: Lqmetal has set industry standards in the US, so we need to do the same in China. At present, it will take at least one year to develop industry standards, and we are continuously promoting it. This is very necessary. It is a new way for us to seize the initiative for industry development;

Q: If we want to vigorously promote the marketization of liquid metals, we need to find many partners, but this poses technical risks. How can we protect the company's intellectual property rights?

Answer: In fact, it is difficult to protect intellectual property rights in China. On the one hand, we want to promote this matter because the development of liquid metal requires support from the entire industry chain (only one that can produce a market and is difficult to make money). On the other hand, as the first domestic liquid metal manufacturer that can produce mobile phone cases, we nurtured it with this sense of mission. If it succeeds in the future, this will be a highlight in the entire history of the development of the liquid metal industry; not just money can measure; Q: Please introduce the phase change process? A: For example, glass is neither too much nor a solid state. Glass is in a glass state, and phase changes will occur over time. Similarly, if an amorphous alloy is applied at more than 300 degrees, it will also change. The phase will not necessarily change, but the shape will definitely change, and the mechanical characteristics will change.

Q: I just mentioned injection molding. Injection molding is generally applied in the field of plastics. What is the difference from die casting?

A: Actually, it's a die casting process, but since it can't be called die casting, it's called injection molding.

Q: In terms of consumer electronics products, consumers are looking for a light and thin type, but zirconium-based liquid metals are heavier in terms of weight than other similar products. How can this problem be solved in the future?

A: Let me take the door axle of a car as an example. A door has two axles, and each axle is about 400-500 grams. We can't switch to amorphous crystals yet; let's explore the feasibility first. The strength of amorphous alloys is about 2.5 times that of high-strength steel, and the specific gravity of amorphous alloys is about 6.5, and iron is 7.8, which is 20% heavier. Taken together, it means that 1/3 volume of amorphous crystal can replace the strength of 1 volume of high-strength steel. The four doors are 4 kg, plus 6 kg at the front and rear of the car, and it is theoretically possible to reduce 4 kg. Because its unit refers to strength being much stronger than other varieties, this is the basis for being able to lose weight.

Q: What about consumer electronics such as mobile phones?

A: The reason is the same. We are making the 0.8mm one now, but actually 0.3 mm is enough; making it very thin is enough to have this strength.

Q: We know that there are many cases where some good materials are applied on a large scale, mainly depending on the material itself being reduced in cost due to scale effects. The company is promoting liquid metal on a large scale nationally and globally. This is a great idea, but when will it become a reality?

A: This is just our intention. It is also an important idea for us to acquire LQMT because it has a very close relationship with Apple, and the two parties share a R&D team. Apple didn't use liquid metal before because no one made it; now we do it. I have to discuss it with them before the end of this year. Of course, I expect it will be tough to demand that the company's products only be supplied to it. I have reservations. Because there are already many excellent mobile phone manufacturers in China, they will not be bought out to Apple or any other mobile phone manufacturer. But we'll talk to Apple soon, and we won't necessarily be able to reach a cooperation, because the differences are still quite big.

Q: After large-scale promotion of this industry, there may be a problem of material upgrading. The next generation or next generation will appear and be replaced with other new materials. Will this hinder the industry's determination to invest on a large scale?

A: This is a relatively broad topic, but I personally think that in the early stages of the outbreak period, large-scale procurement will not occur. The procurement volume will be relatively low at the beginning, and will continue to increase after R&D is mature, so the risk will not be great.

Q: Will automobiles be the biggest promotion field for liquid metals in the future? A: Applications in the automotive sector will take two or three years. We are relatively lucky that a car company with the letter T began quoting our products last year. This company is quite interesting. Its products are considered both in the automotive sector and in the consumer electronics sector. The consumer electronics sector has an advantage, and acceptance of new things is relatively high.

Q: Are there any companies involved in the military industry?

A: Since I am from Hong Kong, my status is not convenient for me to get involved in the military industry. You can find cooperation with Metals. They have rich relevant experience.

Q: Currently, there are three main directions for liquid metal technology reserves. The first is in the form of a strip. This is already quite mature; the second is the block we are currently making is amorphous, and the other is to make powder. When it comes to powders, one application direction is 3D printing. Can you introduce this aspect?

Answer: Powders have two uses. One is a surface coating, which has functions such as wear resistance and corrosion protection, and the other is 3D printing. We have a company called Liaoning Jinyan Liquid Metal Technology Co., Ltd., which accounts for 70% of the company and 30% of the Institute of Metals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Liaoning Liquid Metal has a subsidiary called Shenyang Jinyan New Material Preparation Technology Co., Ltd., which is engaged in 3D printing from powder production to final product preparation, but it has not been promoted. We recently received 3 million dollars from the Guangdong provincial government to fund scientific research in this area. The actual application will probably focus on materials at the beginning of next year, supplying powder to customers. We won't do the printing process; the technical content is too low.

Q: Is it used as a liquid metal powder?

Will the characteristics of amorphous alloys be maintained during 3D printing? A: They are also doing it, and their performance in terms of strength etc. is quite excellent. In 3D printing, we use a special cooling method to meet the forming conditions, so the printed material is still liquid metal, which is our difference from ordinary 3D printing.