Ming-Chi Kuo recently published a blog post on the Medium platform, saying that after investigating Apple’s supply chain, he found that Apple is actively deploying 3D printing technology.
Specifically, some of the titanium mechanical parts of the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which is expected to launch in the second half of this year, will be made of 3D printing.
Hereby attached Ming-Chi Kuo’s complete content as follows:
My latest research shows that Apple is actively adopting 3D printing technology, and some titanium mechanical parts of the new Apple Watch Ultra are expected to be 3D printed in 2H23.
Although currently after 3D printing, it still needs to go through the CNC process for post-processing, but it is expected to improve production time and reduce production costs.
In terms of the 3D printer supply chain used to produce Apple Watch Ultra mechanical components, IPG Photonics is the exclusive laser/laser component supplier, and the printer suppliers are Farsoon High-Tech and Bright Technology.
If the shipment goes well, I believe that more Apple products will adopt 3D printing technology, which will help improve the production cost and ESG performance of Apple’s supply chain, and the above-mentioned suppliers will also benefit from this new manufacturing trend.
The company profile is as follows:
IPG Photonics
IPG Photonics is an American fiber laser manufacturer. IPG Photonics develops and commercializes fiber lasers that are used in a variety of applications including materials processing, medical applications and telecommunications. IPG has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, Russia and Italy.
Farsoon Technology
Hunan Farsoon High-Tech Co., Ltd. was founded in October 2009 in Changsha, Hunan by Dr. Xu Xiaoshu, a famous 3D printing scientist. The company adheres to the concept of “independent innovation, open source sharing”, aims at industrial applications and continues to carry out high-quality independent innovation, constantly marches into the breadth and depth of technology, continues to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and creation, and has become a leading enterprise in China’s additive manufacturing industry. On April 17, 2023, Farsoon Hi-Tech listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange through its initial public offering of A shares.
Platinum
BLT is committed to becoming the world’s leading provider of additive technology solutions. The company was established in July 2011 and was officially listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on July 22, 2019. The stock abbreviation is BLT, and the stock code is 688333. BLT is a national high-tech enterprise with a national enterprise technology center and other high-level scientific research platforms. As of the end of December 2022, the company has about 1,400 employees, 30.23% of whom are R&D personnel, and it has applied for 440 independent intellectual property rights related to metal additive manufacturing technology.
