1. Folding mobile phone hinges to create explosive applications for liquid metal commercialization, opening up growth space
Huawei’s second-generation upgraded folding screen phone Mate Xs selected zirconium-based liquid metal + MIM process is expected to create explosive application scenarios of liquid metal commercialization, opening up room for growth. On the evening of February 24th, Huawei released the second-generation upgraded folding screen phone Mate Xs. The most obvious appearance improvement of Huawei MateXs comes from the hinge, which is officially called “Eagle-wing folding design”. What users can see is actually only Exposing that little piece, this also became the most obvious difference between the appearance of this generation of Huawei MateXs and the previous generation. The official revealed that the hinge system of MateXs has more than 100 devices. The use of zirconium-based liquid metal and other materials greatly enhances the strength of the hinge, which is 30% stronger than titanium alloy.
The hinge is the most critical functional part to realize a foldable mobile phone, and it is also the most scientific and technological part of the folding screen. The hinge design can effectively prevent excessive mechanical damage to the screen. Compared with the hinge of a notebook computer, the requirements of precision, durability, strength and thinness of a hinge hinge of a mobile phone are high, which almost determines the success of a folding screen mobile phone. According to Huawei’s consumer business CEO Yu Chengdong, “We have been researching this folding screen hinge for three years and include more than 100 parts. This is very expensive, but there are many new technologies in it.” Because of the high requirements for materials, Huawei’s second-generation folding screen finally selected a zirconium-based liquid metal material with superior performance, which is combined with metal injection molding (MIM) in the process, with the advantages of high precision and thinner, which is expected to replace the traditional Press + CNC mode.
Liquid metal has characteristics such as high strength, high hardness, lightness, complexity, and brightness, which makes it extremely adaptable. The official name of liquid metal is amorphous alloy, which has significant advantages in terms of performance, process and cost. It is a new generation of disruptive materials that surpasses traditional light alloy varieties such as aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. At present, although the material has great potential in 3C, automotive, medical and other fields, the market space has just begun to open. Huawei`s second-generation upgraded folding screen phone Mate Xs chooses zirconium-based liquid metal + MIM process is expected to create a commercial liquid metal Explosive application scenarios to expand growth space.
Folding phones are expected to usher in rapid growth. Since Samsung and Huawei successively released the first generation of folding screen phones, the innovation in the smartphone market is no longer limited to 5G, and folding screens have become new selling points for smartphones. Currently, Samsung and Huawei have released second-generation folding screen phones, and Lenovo and Xiaomi are also looking for incremental space on the folding screen. According to IHS estimates, shipments of folding screen mobile phones are expected to reach 5.2 million units this year, and it is expected to exceed 50 million units by 2025. Folding mobile phones are about to enter a stage of rapid growth.
2. DGYA Special Metal Technology is a global industrial leader in the field of liquid metals, with the capability of mobile phone hinge
DGYA has the world’s largest production line for zirconium-based amorphous alloys. According to the announcement, the company is a pioneer in liquid metal research and development in the industry, with integrated manufacturing capabilities from materials to equipment and design, and the only company in the world that applies liquid metal to the automotive industry. The company has established a division to conduct research and development of liquid alloy technology in 2012. Mass production of precision parts for mobile phones began in 2014, mass production of automotive products in 2015, mass production of precision optical stands for mobile phones in 2018, and the supply chain of folding mobile phone manufacturers in 2019. With the gradual expansion of application scenarios, the market space continues to expand.
First, the company’s liquid metal products have cooperated with relevant customers in the fields of 5G communications, new energy vehicles, and consumer electronics. The first is that the liquid metal Face ID brackets have been supplied in batches to well-known domestic mobile phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and Huawei; the company’s 5G base station products include filters and heat dissipation casings, and currently cooperate with customers such as China National Communications. The second is that the company started mass production of Tesla’s new energy vehicle door lock cover project in the new energy vehicle field in 2015. It is a Tisla first-tier supplier. The customer has established a cooperative relationship. At present, the company has mass-produced liquid metal products including car door locks, USB interfaces, mobile phone side decoration parts, camera decoration parts, Face-ID brackets and many other products.
The company has the ability to develop and produce liquid metal hinges. According to the announcement, the company has provided two liquid metal hinges for the largest mobile phone terminal customers in China, which are respectively defined as the first and second generations, as follows:
The first-generation liquid metal hinge project was evaluated in July 2018, and the mass production time was October 2019;
The second-generation liquid metal hinge project was evaluated in October 2019, and mass production began in November 2019.