Ming Chi-Kuo, an analyst at TF Worldwide Securities, just lately reported that – in response to his newest survey – Apple is actively adopting 3D printing know-how. He thus expects that a few of the titanium mechanical components of the 2H23 new Apple Watch Extremely might be made by 3D printing. Though presently the mechanical components made by 3D printing nonetheless need to undergo the CNC course of for back-end processes, he believes that AM can nonetheless enhance the manufacturing time and cut back the manufacturing value.
When it comes to the availability chain for 3D printers used to provide mechanical components for the Apple Watch Extremely, IPG Photonics is the unique provider of laser elements, and the printer suppliers are Farsoon and BLT. If shipments go effectively, Kuo believes extra Apple merchandise will undertake 3D printing know-how, which is able to assist enhance manufacturing value and ESG efficiency in Apple’s provide chain, and the above-mentioned suppliers will even profit from this new manufacturing development.
The elements may embody the Digital Crown, Aspect Button, and Motion Button, as these are the one mechanical components of the Apple Watch Extremely. These are the titanium components which can be presently CNC machined. The change has the potential to enhance manufacturing time and cut back prices.
Whereas that is simply an unconfirmed deduction, the true information right here is affirmation that Apple makes use of 3D printing know-how from BLT and Farsoon. There is no such thing as a affirmation that the corporate will really produce the Apple Watch Extremely components however that could be very possible, particularly in gentle of the very fact one in every of its Chinese language rivals within the cellular machine phase, Honor, simply precisely detailed its personal – very actual and really clear – technique, to implementing metallic AM for mass manufacturing of the brand new Magic V2 foldable smartphone.
In accordance with Siemens VP of Additive Manufacturing Karsten Heuser, who first reported concerning the Honor venture in Western media by way of a LinkedIn publish “The Honor Magic V2, achieves a thickness of simply 9.9 mm in its folded state by designing a titanium hinge to be produced with & by 3Dprinting. In accordance with the bulletins, utilizing AM made it 62% lighter and cut back the variety of hinge components from 92 components to solely 4. Power can be improved because of tailor-made titanium alloy vs historically machined metal and aluminum components
Honor additionally mentioned that at the least about 2 of the 4 components are being printed, whereas for the opposite components, they are going to use 3Dprinted molds for a single casting course of with finer construction would possibly or the components may be 3D printed as effectively. Hanbang 3D (HBD) mentioned that the hinge with its cowl was developed primarily based on their know-how. Different Chinese language AM corporations are concerned as effectively.
Heuser lastly factors out that “Whereas many within the European AM trade nonetheless clarify that solely low quantity manufacturing could be addressable by AM, these examples clearly present the trail in the direction of excessive quantity superior manufacturing with AM. Particularly the European metallic L-PBF machine corporations, being pioneers in AM, should be alerted by these developments.”
If the Apple rumor is confirmed, and the Honor venture follows by (together with industrial success for the brand new smartphone product, this may usher in a brand new period by way of utilizing AM for serial and even mass manufacturing. Now we have argued right here that actually small (and actually massive) components presently signify key USPs for additive manufacturing (together with advanced geometries and subassemblies) as a result of there may be simply no various methodology of manufacturing. It’s possible that the merchandise of the long run will more and more make use of AM in manufacturing just because there is no such thing as a different method.
That is one thing that your complete AM trade already is aware of and that the majority adopting corporations are beginning to uncover (with medical and aerospace main the way in which, particularly within the west). Nevertheless, scaling use of AM for serial manufacturing – which was hailed as a way to “reshore manufacturing” – is now being led by Asian and particularly Chinese language corporations the place manufacturing already occurs. Western corporations made enormous proclaims however ultimately they’ve failed up to now to aggressively implement robust AM-based manufacturing methods, largely as a result of they merely didn’t make the required investments.
There are some exceptions: corporations like OECHSLER in polymers and Oerlikon in metals are going by enormous efforts to develop efficient and environment friendly AM mass manufacturing strains. Siemens as effectively, particularly after the current announcement of the over $1 billion funding to digitalize manufacturing and implement manufacturing at its plant in Erlangen. Many house corporations are lastly aggressively implementing AM (typically a lot later than they need to have). However these corporations, as massive as they’re, can not practically suffice.
As market analysts and specialised one other main problem we’re seeing within the West is that adopting corporations don’t need to overtly focus on their AM methods. There are two/three explanation why corporations don’t need to disclose their AM methods. The primary is that they need to protect a hypothetical aggressive benefit (as if competing corporations are usually not conscious that AM exists). The second is that they generally see AM (or 3D printing) as a hyped-up time period that may diminish the worth of their merchandise and thus don’t need to be related to it. Lastly, typically the bigger corporations simply don’t contemplate AM and AM media as a lot as they need to. They search for generalist media protection however generalist media don’t have a ample understanding of the complexities AM to have the ability to deal with this subject precisely.
In China, that is very completely different. Whereas Chinese language corporations don’t make important media investments within the West they definitely achieve this within the home market. Even with out investing, most Chinese language corporations (when you get by the language and geographic barrier) are extraordinarily open about their use of additive manufacturing. They’re desirous to share gross sales data and VoxelMatters has been amassing all this data in its rising database. The businesses talked about on this article (BLT, Farsoon, HBD), together with dozens of different corporations lively in metallic, polymer and ceramic AM, are able to scale, supported by Chinese language adopters. Their know-how has developed quickly, identical to Chinese language smartphone (and EV) know-how is evolving quickly. The 2 issues really go hand in hand. Will the standard Western AM market leaders additionally give attention to rising the trade or will they continue to be confined to small-batch high-value functions and M&A actions?
