Apple Details New 3D-Printed Titanium Cases for Apple Watch

Apple has detailed its shift to 3D printing for the titanium cases of the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and titanium Apple Watch Series 11, a manufacturing first for the company at scale. The new process uses 100 percent recycled aerospace-grade titanium powder and is a key part of Apple's goal to become carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. Apple also notes that all electricity used to manufacture Apple Watch already comes from 100 percent renewable sources like wind and solar.

The move to an additive 3D-printing process allows the new Apple Watch Ultra 3 and titanium Apple Watch Series 11 cases to be built to their near-final shape, layer by layer. This reduces the amount of raw material needed by half compared to traditional forging, a subtractive method that requires large portions of a metal block to be machined away. Apple estimates the change will save more than 400 metric tons of raw titanium this year alone and helps advance its Apple 2030 environmental goals.




Apple's vice president of Product Design, Kate Bergeron, says the company has been experimenting with the technology for a decade. The new process involves atomizing raw titanium into a fine powder while carefully controlling the oxygen content — a key materials-science challenge that affects how the metal behaves under high-heat laser printing. Apple then uses a bank of six lasers to build each case layer by layer, with each layer measuring just 60 microns thick. Once printed, the cases are separated, cleaned of excess powder through rough and fine depowdering, and put through an automated optical inspection before final processing.

The new technique also enabled design improvements that were not possible with traditional forging. For cellular models, Apple was able to 3D-print a specific texture on the inner surface of the case, creating a better bond between the metal and the plastic used for the antenna housing and improving the watch's waterproofing.



Sarah Chandler, Apple's vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, says the shift dramatically improves material efficiency, which is critical to reaching Apple's 2030 goals.


This 3D-printing technology has also been applied to other products, with Apple using the same process to create the titanium USB-C port for its new, ultra-thin iPhone Air. Bergeron says achieving the breakthrough at scale has "opened up the opportunity for even more design flexibility than what we had before."



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