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56m ago

Apple Debuts In‑House 3D‑Printed Recycled Titanium for Apple Watch, Extends Method to iPhone Air

Apple casts the in-house additive workflow as a scalable step toward cutting material use to help meet its 2030 carbon-neutral goal.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 with 3D-printed titanium case
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'The near net shape part is now ready to be input to the rest of the manufacturing process in a way similar to a previously forged part. Processes include injection moulding, CNC, polishing and/or sand blasting, lasering, etc.'
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Overview

  • The Apple Watch Ultra 3 and the titanium Apple Watch Series 11 use cases made via 3D printing from 100% aerospace-grade recycled titanium powder.
  • Apple’s metallurgy team devised and productionised the process, cutting titanium use by roughly half compared with previously machined billet cases.
  • The near‑net‑shape parts are built by layered laser fusion and then enter standard finishing steps such as CNC, polishing, sand blasting and lasering.
  • A multi‑step workflow recovers and recycles unused powder, adds automated optical inspection, and laser marks parts with 2D barcodes for traceability.
  • The same method is already used in the iPhone Air for a 3D‑printed titanium USB‑C port enclosure, enabling gains like added water sealing and improved antenna window integration.