Apple will reportedly use a cutting-edge production method to make some of the components for the 2023 Apple Watch Ultra: 3D printing.
And if the experiment goes well, the tech could be used in other Apple devices.
3D printing could revolutionize Apple production
3D printing involves creating an object by depositing layers of material on top of each other to form the shape. The material isn’t poured into mold — it’s put on layer by layer.
In the past, it was used for rapid prototyping, but the technology has improved to the point where it can be used for production, where it’s sometimes called additive manufacturing. And Apple is allegedly on board.
“My latest survey indicates that Apple is actively adopting 3D printing technology, and it’s expected that some of the titanium mechanical parts of the 2H23 new Apple Watch Ultra will be made by 3D printing,” reports Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF International Securities, in a blog post.
And Kuo says the wearable could be only a beginning. “If shipments go well, I believe more Apple products will adopt 3D printing technology,” the analyst predicted.
Little else is known about the 2023 Apple Watch Ultra. Unconfirmed reports point to a possible new version with a 2.1-inch screen — the current one uses a 1.9-inch display. And the wearable might come in more colors.
Benefits for Apple to additive manufacturing
If Kuo’s report is true, moving to 3D printing would simplify Apple’s supply chain. Rather than buying the parts from external suppliers, Apple could make them itself. Of course, it would have to source the printing material from an outside company.
And there are limits, of course. Complex components can’t be 3D printed. So the company could make part of an iPhone casing this way, but it’s not possible to, for example, print a battery.
