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November 18, 2025<\/p>\n
UPDATE<\/p>\n
Mapping the future with\u00a03D\u2011printed titanium Apple\u00a0Watch\u00a0cases<\/p>\n
It started with a pie-in-the-sky idea: What if 3D printing \u2014 historically used to create prototypes \u2014 could be leveraged to produce millions of identical enclosures to Apple\u2019s exact design standards, with high-quality recycled metal?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just an idea\u00a0\u2014 it was an idea that wanted to become a reality,\u201d says Kate Bergeron, Apple\u2019s vice president of Product Design. \u201cOnce 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, all Apple Watch Ultra 3 and titanium Apple Watch Series 11 cases are 3D-printed with 100 percent recycled aerospace-grade titanium powder, an achievement not previously considered possible at scale. Every team at Apple rallied behind a shared ambition. The polished mirror finish on Series 11 had to be pristine. Ultra 3 had to maintain its durability and lightweight form to meet the demands of everyday adventurers. They both also had to be better for the planet without compromising performance, and use the same or better-quality materials.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Apple, every team holds environment as a core value,\u201d says Sarah Chandler, Apple\u2019s vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation. \u201cWe knew 3D-printing was a technology with so much potential for material efficiency, which is critical for getting to Apple 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n
Apple 2030 is the company\u2019s ambitious goal to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by the end of this decade, which includes the manufacturing supply chain and lifetime use of its products. Already, all of the electricity used to manufacture Apple Watch comes from renewable energy sources like wind and solar.<\/p>\n
Using the additive process of 3D printing, layer after layer gets printed until an object is as close to the final shape needed as possible. Historically, machining forged parts is subtractive, requiring large portions of material to be shaved off. This shift enables Ultra 3 and titanium cases of Series 11 to use just half the raw material compared to their previous generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 50 percent drop is a massive achievement \u2014 you\u2019re getting two watches out of the same amount of material used for one,\u201d Chandler explains. \u201cWhen you start mapping that back, the savings to the planet are tremendous.\u201d<\/p>\n
In total, Apple estimates more than 400 metric tons of raw titanium will be saved this year alone thanks to this new process.<\/p>\n
Over the past decade, Apple has been experimenting with 3D printing while the industry itself was starting to take off. In hospital labs, doctors were using the first 3D-printed prosthetics and artificial organs, and even beyond Earth\u2019s atmosphere, astronauts discovered the speed and ease of 3D-printing vital tools while aboard the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve watched this technology mature for a long time and seen its prototypes become more representative of our designs,\u201d says Dr. J Manjunathaiah, Apple\u2019s senior director of Manufacturing Design for Apple Watch and Vision. \u201cUsing less material to make our products has always been the intention. Previously, we hadn\u2019t been able to make cosmetic parts at scale with 3D printing. So we started to experiment with 3D-printing metal to make cosmetic parts.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Apple, functionality, beauty, and durability are table stakes. Add on scalability, along with rigorous reliability testing, performance, and even breakthroughs in materials science, all while ensuring Apple doesn\u2019t lose any ground in its 2030 decarbonization goals.<\/p>\n
Looking down from above, rows of blocks protrude from the ground like white Lego skyscrapers, whirring day and night. These are the 3D printers hard at work building the titanium cases for Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11.<\/p>\n
Each machine features a galvanometer that houses six lasers, all working simultaneously to build layer after layer \u2014 over 900 times \u2014 to complete a single case. But even before the printers can start, the raw titanium needs to be atomized into powder, a process that involves fine-tuning its oxygen content to decrease the qualities of titanium that become explosive when exposed to heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was cutting-edge materials science,\u201d says Bergeron.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe powder had to be 50 microns in diameter, which is like very fine sand,\u201d Manjunathaiah explains. \u201cWhen you hit it with a laser, it behaves differently if it has oxygen versus not. So we had to figure out how to keep the oxygen content low.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDialing in that thickness so that each layer is exactly 60 microns means very finely squeegeeing this powder,\u201d Bergeron adds. \u201cWe have to go as fast as we possibly can to make this scalable, while going as slow as we possibly can to be precise. This allowed us to be efficient, while still hitting the goals of the design.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the printers are done working, an operator vacuums excess powder off the build plate in a process called rough depowdering. Because the builds are printed to the near-final shape for all of the interlocks needed on the enclosure, powder can still sit in the nooks and crannies of the cases. An ultrasonic shaker ensures this remaining powder is removed during the fine depowdering phase.<\/p>\n
During the singulation process, a thin electrified wire saws between each case, while a liquid coolant is sprayed simultaneously to keep the heat from the cutting process low. An automated optical inspection system then measures each case, checking that its dimensions and cosmetics are accurate. This is the final quality check to ensure the enclosures are ready for final processing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mechanical engineers have to be the most skilled puzzle solvers in the entire world,\u201d Bergeron says. \u201cThey take the circuitboard, the display, the battery \u2014 all of the things that go inside the case during final assembly \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another key design enhancement 3D-printing unlocked: printing textures in locations that were historically inaccessible in the forging process. For Apple Watch, this meant being able to improve the waterproofing process for the antenna housing in cellular models. Within the case, cellular models have a split filled with plastic to enable antenna functionality, and 3D-printing a specific texture on the inner surface of the metal enabled Apple to achieve better bonding between plastic and metal.<\/p>\n
Putting the puzzle pieces together was a multiyear journey that started with a series of demos and proofs of concept to fine-tune the recipe, from the specific alloy composition, to the printing process itself. After testing it out on a much smaller scale in previous product generations, the team was confident in its ability to solve for the unique challenges of working with titanium.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always try to take those incremental steps to allow us to take the next step,\u201d says Bergeron. \u201cThis has now opened up the opportunity for even more design flexibility than what we had before. Now that we\u2019ve achieved this breakthrough at scale, in a truly sustainable way, and at the cosmetic and structural level that we need, the possibilities are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n
That design flexibility unlocked another benefit that goes beyond Apple Watch: the USB-C port on the new iPhone Air. By creating an entirely new port with a titanium enclosure that is 3D-printed with the same recycled titanium powder, Apple was able to make its incredibly thin yet durable design a reality.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re extraordinarily committed to systems change,\u201d says Chandler. \u201cWe\u2019re never doing something just to do it once \u2014 we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Press Contacts<\/p>\n
Sean Redding<\/p>\n
Apple<\/p>\n
s_redding@apple.com<\/a><\/p>\n Nikki Rothberg<\/p>\n Apple<\/p>\n