---
title: "How additive manufacturing is changing the game at Apple"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/additive-manufacturing-changing-game-apple/
date: 2025-11-20
modified: 2025-11-21
lang: en
author: "Tess Boissonneault"
description: "In September, we were excited to report that multinational tech company Apple had turned to metal additive manufacturing to print essential components for its iPhone Air and the new Apple..."
categories:
  - "Additive Mass Production - AMP"
  - "Consumer Products"
  - "Electronics"
tags:
  - "Featured"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/apple-am-2-640x356.jpg
word_count: 991
---

# How additive manufacturing is changing the game at Apple

In September, we were excited to report that multinational tech company Apple had turned to metal additive manufacturing to print essential components for its [iPhone Air and the new Apple Watch 11](https://www.voxelmatters.com/new-iphone-air-and-apple-watch-11-to-feature-titanium-3d-printed-parts/). In the case of the former, 3D printing was used to manufacture the USB-C port, while the latter integrates a fully 3D printed titanium case. Now, Apple has revealed more details about how its use of metal AM has transformed its design and production approach, enabling it to take significant steps towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

For many years, 3D printing in the [consumer segment](https://www.voxelmatters.com/category/3d-printed-consumer-products/) was predominantly used for prototyping and to accelerate product development timelines. More recently, however, companies in the sector have been realizing its potential for series production applications. This was a revelation at Apple, which has turned the idea of using AM and recycled metal materials for end-use production into a reality.

"It wasn’t just an idea—it was an idea that wanted to become a reality,” explained Kate Bergeron, Apple’s VP of Product Design. "Once we asked the question, we immediately started testing it. We had to prove, with continuous prototyping, process optimization, and a tremendous amount of data gathering, that this technology was capable of meeting the high standard of quality we demand."

[![How additive manufacturing is changing the game at Apple](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Apple-3D-printed-Apple-Watch-Ultra-3_inline.jpg.large_2x-340x340.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Apple-3D-printed-Apple-Watch-Ultra-3_inline.jpg.large_2x.jpg)The Apple Watch Ultra 3 features a 3D printed titanium case

Today at Apple, metal 3D printing technology is used to manufacture the USB-C port for the iPhone Air as well as the cases for the Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3. In the case of the Apple Watch cases, 3D printing has not only met the strict standards of the internationally renowned tech firm, it has also enabled them to use fully recycled materials (an aerospace-grade titanium) and to reduce material consumption by half compared to previous generations which relied on subtractive processes.

“A 50% drop is a massive achievement—you’re getting two watches out of the same amount of material used for one,” said Sarah Chandler, Apple’s VP of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation. “When you start mapping that back, the savings to the planet are tremendous.” In terms of volumes, the company estimates it has saved over 400 metric tons of raw titanium by transitioning to additive manufacturing.

While Apple hasn't revealed which specific machines it is using in the series production of Apple Watch cases, it has divulged more details about the process. The company currently operates several metal 3D printers, each of which is equipped with six lasers. The material in question—central to the success of the application—is 100% recycled titanium that has been atomized into a fine powder with particles measuring 50 microns in diameter.

"This was cutting-edge materials science,“ added Bergeron. "Dialling in that thickness so that each layer is exactly 60 microns means very finely squeegeeing this powder. This allowed us to be efficient, while still hitting the goals of the design."

[![How additive manufacturing is changing the game at Apple](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/apple-am-1-340x280.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/apple-am-1-scaled.jpg)Cases are printed in series on LPBF 3D printers

In the printing process, Apple Watch cases are strategically nested so that as many as possible can be produced in a single build and each case is reportedly made up of over 900 layers. When the laser sintering is complete, an operator vacuums away excess powder from the build platform (later on an ultrasonic shaker removes any remaining powder from the crevices and hard-to-reach areas of the cases).

The production workflow also integrated a singulation process, in which an electrified wire saws between each case and a liquid coolant is sprayed to minimize heat buildup. An optical inspection system then checks the dimensional accuracy of each case as well as the overall finish before the cases are sent for final finishing and assembly.

"The mechanical engineers have to be the most skilled puzzle solvers in the entire world,” Bergeron said. “They take the circuitboard, the display, the battery—all of the things that go inside the case during final assembly—and make them fit. We test along the way to make sure the watch is functional; then add software and run it for a period of time to check that all the functionality meets our requirements."

Notably, Apple has also been able to make functional improvements to its Apple Watch cases thanks to the abilities of laser powder bed fusion. Specifically, it has leveraged the technology's ability to print textures to improve the bonding between the metal case and a split filled with plastic that waterproofs the antenna housing in cellular models. Adding a texture on the inner surface of the metal watch case has thus helped to improve the overall waterproofing function.

[![How additive manufacturing is changing the game at Apple](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/apple-am-3-340x191.jpg)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/apple-am-3-scaled.jpg)Apple has reduced material consumption by half for its Apple Watch cases

It's worth emphasizing that AM's design freedom was also central to the development of the USB-C port for the iPhone Air. This component, made from the same recycled titanium powder, is able to be as strong and thin as it is thanks to the combination of the material and additive manufacturing. As Apple says: "This is the magic that can happen when the laws of physics, material innovation, unparalleled design, and an unwavering commitment to the environment all line up."

Apple's additive manufacturing journey has been years in the making and is far from over. In fact, the company believes that 3D printing will be a key component in realizing its ambitious sustainable goals to become completely carbon neutral by 2030—including the manufacturing supply chain and lifetime use of its products. “We’re extraordinarily committed to systems change,” added Chandler. “We’re never doing something just to do it once—we’re doing it so it becomes the way the whole system then works. Our North Star has always been to design products that are better for people and planet. When we come together to innovate without compromise across design, manufacturing, and our environmental goals, the benefits are exponentially greater than we could ever imagine."