Die-formed amorphous metallic articles and their fabrication

Abstract

A metallic article is fabricated by providing a die and a piece of a bulk-solidifying amorphous metallic alloy having a glass transition temperature. The bulk-solidifying amorphous metallic alloy is heated to a forming temperature of from about 0.75 T.sub.g to about 1.2 T.sub.g and forced into the die cavity at the forming temperature under an external pressure of from about 260 to about 40,000 pounds per square inch, thereby deforming the piece of the bulk-solidifying amorphous metallic alloy to a formed shape that fills the die cavity. Preferably, a pressure is applied to the piece of the bulk-solidifying amorphous metallic alloy as it is heated, and the heating rate is at least about 0.1.degree. C. per second. The die may be a male die or a female die. When the die has a re-entrant comer therein, the formed shape of the bulk-solidifying amorphous metallic alloy is mechanically locked to the die.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.