Apple reportedly plans to utilize 3D printing to build the stainless steel housing on the upcoming stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9, according to a new report by Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Apple is interested in using 3D printing instead of more traditional CNC machining as a way to cut down on production time and save on the used material. Apple plans to further expand the use of 3D printing with other products in the next several years if the technology is successful with the upcoming stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9, adds Gurman. The company apparently has plans to build the titanium housing of the Apple Watch Ultra through 3D printing, though the move won’t materialize till 2024 at the earliest.
According to Gurman, Apple plans to use a specific 3D printing technique known as “binder jetting” to create a rough outline of the device’s final shape. A powder is fed into the 3D printing machine, which undergoes a “sintering” process in which the powder is compressed into the near-final stainless steel material, before undergoing a final machining process to perfect the design in addition to creating cutouts for buttons and other parts.
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The new technique uses a type of 3D printing called binder jetting to create the device’s general outline at close to its actual size, or what is known in manufacturing as the “near net shape.” The print is made with a powdered substance, which afterward goes through a process called sintering. That uses heat and pressure to squeeze the material into what feels like traditional steel. The exact design and cutouts are then milled like in the previous process.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg
Apple has reportedly been testing 3D printing for the past three years, adds Gurman, and there’s a real possibility that the technique will make it to final production of the stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9 set to be announced next month alongside the iPhone 15 lineup. 3D printing would also be beneficial for the environment as “it only uses the approximate amount of metal necessary to create the device enclosures,” rather than using an entire slab of stainless steel that undergoes a forging process that shapes it into the final form of an Apple Watch.
Gurman adds that Apple’s manufacturing design team, headed by Vice President Rob York and reporting to Senior Vice President of Operations Sabih Khan, is at the forefront of the 3D printing initiative. Although the transition to producing 3D-printed Apple Watch cases has reportedly been an “expensive endeavor” for both Apple and its suppliers, it is anticipated to streamline the manufacturing process and potentially lead to cost reductions in the future. Presently, the cost per watch case using the new method remains consistent with the previous forging and CNC approach.
Gurman warns that work on the 3D printing venture remains “nascent” and will be limited to “lower-volume products,” with the stainless steel Apple Watch accounting for just 10% of total shipments of the smartwatch. Apple also reportedly hasn’t made enough progress with 3D printing other materials such as aluminum, but that could still be part of the company’s future plans as it seeks to expand 3D printing to other products and consequently other materials.
Ming-Chi Kuo earlier reported that Apple was exploring 3D printing for certain mechanical buttons with the upcoming second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, and today’s report reveals that the scale of the 3D printing endeavor within Apple is much bigger in scope than just constructing some parts.
Apple is set to launch the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra in a few weeks with the iPhone 15 lineup. Other than today’s report, details have been scant on what to expect with the upcoming Apple Watch models, but a prior report suggests that the new S9 System-in-Package (SiP) chip could feature a substantial performance boost.
