Utilizing six-laser systems, Apple mass-produces near-net-shape watch enclosures from recycled titanium via 3D printing, significantly reducing material usage.
Apple, a U.S. consumer electronics company, has provided more details on how laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is used to manufacture titanium cases for its Apple Watch Ultra 3 and titanium Series 11 models. The enclosures are produced from 100 percent recycled aerospace-grade titanium powder and fabricated to near-net shape, cutting raw-material use by about half compared to earlier forged designs. The move advances Apple’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire value chain by 2030.
Rather than machining titanium billets, Apple now builds each enclosure layer by layer using six-laser galvanometer systems capable of printing multiple units simultaneously. Around 900 passes are required to complete a single case. Before printing, the recycled titanium is gas-atomized into fine powder with an average particle size of 50 microns—roughly the texture of fine sand—while oxygen content is tightly controlled to prevent unwanted reactions under laser exposure. Each layer is deposited at a height of 60 microns to balance precision and print speed.
Senior manufacturing design director J. Manjunathaiah explained that the powder’s chemistry was a critical factor in achieving stable fusion. “When you hit it with a laser, it behaves differently if it has oxygen versus not,” he said, noting that engineers had to minimize oxygen levels during atomization and printing to maintain consistency. Roughly 400 metric tons of titanium are expected to be saved this year as a result of the new production method.
Vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation Sarah Chandler described the titanium project as integral to the Apple 2030 carbon-neutral strategy. All electricity used in Apple Watch manufacturing now comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar power. “A 50 percent drop [in raw-material use] is a massive achievement — you’re getting two watches out of the same amount of material used for one,” Chandler said.
Engineers also exploited LPBF’s design flexibility to introduce micro-textures that enhance waterproofing around antenna housings in cellular models. The printed pattern improves adhesion between metal and polymer inserts. Internal interlocks for displays, batteries, and sensors were redesigned within the same framework to preserve structural strength while reducing part count.
Apple’s research into 3D printing extends more than a decade, paralleling the wider industrial adoption of additive manufacturing across aerospace and medical sectors. Earlier work focused on functional prototypes with realistic surfaces, leading to a series of titanium proof-of-concept builds that demonstrated cosmetic-grade quality could be achieved at scale.
Vice president of Product Design Kate Bergeron said continuous prototyping and data-driven process optimization were essential to validating LPBF for production. Once parameters were established, printed parts entered Apple’s established quality-assurance system: ultrasonic depowdering, coolant-assisted wire cutting during singulation, and automated optical inspection to confirm geometry and surface finish. Bergeron added that achieving this capability “has now opened up the opportunity for even more design flexibility than what we had before.”
Apple’s adoption of additive manufacturing
Reports from Formnext + PM South China 2023 indicated that Apple was collaborating with Chinese 3D printer manufacturers. More recent reports name the use of metal 3D printing systems from Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) to produce smartwatch components. BLT would not confirm these reports when asked about the most recent update from Apple. The company was also said to be testing binder-jetting processes for stainless-steel watch chassis. During the same 2023 event, Chinese manufacturer EasyMFG displayed 316L stainless-steel watch casings 3D printed with binder-jetting technology, similar to the methods reportedly under evaluation by Apple. According to multiple sources, Apple has been developing this technique for about three years, testing it on steel cases for the Apple Watch Series 9 and preparing to apply additive manufacturing to titanium Ultra models in 2024.
Apple’s use of 3D printing has since expanded to other devices, including the iPhone Air and Watch Series 11, both incorporating additively manufactured components. On the iPhone Air, the USB-C port was 3D printed to achieve a thinner, stronger structure that used 33 percent less material than conventional forging, helping enable the device’s 5.6 millimeter profile—the slimmest in Apple’s lineup. The titanium cases for the Watch Series 11 also reduced raw-material use by about 50 percent compared to previous generations. Both products are part of Apple’s 2030 carbon-neutral strategy, which integrates recycled cobalt in batteries and recycled titanium in frames to reduce waste across manufacturing.
