When he famously gained a manufacturing foothold with the plastic flowers in the 1950s, he says, he was able to engineer critical molding machinery with an injection process made using a Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) bottle and a plastic straw, using something he saw in Modern Plastics as a guide.

FORBES: Thoughts of Chairman Li

"Liquidmetal allows precision parts to be fabricated similar to plastic injection molding, but with similar properties to metal, " IHS senior principal analyst Kevin Keller said.

CNN: Next iPhone may be housed in 'Liquidmetal'

His chips, the size of a half-dollar or smaller, are made with two layers of rubber, relying on a technique similar to injection molding used to make toys.

FORBES: Magazine Article