Apple partner Liquidmetal Technologie has begun shipping commercial parts to "several" customers, but the company hasn't named any specifically, reports "Appleinsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com).

Liquidmetal revealed that delivery parts actually began to customers in December. But the company announced on Wednesday that its manufacturing operations are now shipping parts to a number of worldwide customers, and shipments are expected to continue into the months ahead, notes "AppleInsider."

In 2010, it was found announced that Apple struck a deal with Liquidmetal Technologies (http://www.liquidmetal.com/technology/default.asp), a California-based company that holds patents on new metal and alloy designs, for essentially access to all of its intellectual property.

According to the LiqudMetal Tech web site, its alloys are a" revolutionary class of materials that redefines performance and cost paradigms." The superior properties of Liquidmetal alloys are made possible by revolutionary scientific and technological innovations, the company says.

The allows have an "amorphous" atomic structure, which is unprecedented for structural metals. Also, they include a multi-component chemical composition, which can be optimized for various properties and processes. Finally, they lend themselves to process technology similar to that possessed by plastics.