Apple is exploring3D printing of aluminum to manufacture iPhone and Apple Watch casings. This approach, already validated on titanium, could transform the group's production lines and reduce its costs on a large scale.
The news was revealed on March 7, 2026, by Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. According to the journalist, Apple's industrial design team is actively working on methods for 3D printing aluminum, with the goal of improving the production efficiency of Apple Watch casings and, eventually, iPhone shells. This is not yet a final decision, but the ambition is clearly set within the operational teams of the Cupertino firm.
Titanium, the first testing ground
Before tackling aluminum, Apple validated the concept on titanium. In November 2025, Apple confirmed in an official press release that all casings for theApple Watch Ultra 3 and the Apple Watch Series 11 in titanium are now manufactured by 3D printing, using 100% recycled titanium powder. In this press release, Apple described this achievement as 'an achievement not previously considered possible at scale' ('an achievement not previously considered possible at scale').
The process is as precise as it is spectacular. Lasers superimpose over 900 layers of material, each 60 microns thick, over approximately 20 hours per production cycle. One machine can print multiple casings simultaneously, allowing for a volume compatible with Apple's global requirements.
More recently, Apple applied this technique to the titanium USB-C port iPhone Air. According to 9to5Mac, this port is both more resistant and requires 33% less titanium for its manufacturing, a notable saving on raw material costs.
Aluminum, the next frontier
Aluminum is currently at the heart of Apple's ambitions in 3D printing. This material is massively used in the design of iPhones and the majority of Apple Watches; its adoption in this process therefore represents a much larger scale change than what was done with titanium.
'The company's industrial design team, in collaboration with its operations department, is working on methods for 3D printing aluminum, which would bring more efficiency to the production of Apple Watch casings and, potentially one day, iPhone shells, according to my information,' Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. (“The company’s manufacturing design team — along with its operations department — is working on ways to 3D-print aluminum, which would bring more efficiency to the production of Apple Watch casings and, potentially one day, iPhone enclosures, I’m told.”)
The immediate goal is to extend 3D printing to the majority of Apple Watch casings, before considering an application to the iPhone. Given the production volumes (over 200 million iPhones sold per year), even a marginal reduction in manufacturing cost translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in savings globally.
Unexpected technical benefits
Reducing costs is not the only benefit of 3D printing. This technique also allows for geometries and textures that are impossible to achieve with traditional machining methods, particularly the high-pressure forging used until now for metal casings.
Apple has put this advantage into practice with the Apple Watch Ultra 3. According to 9to5Mac, Apple used 3D printing to engrave a specific texture inside the casing, where a plastic separator ensures the functioning of the cellular antenna. This texture improves adhesion between the plastic and the metal, thus strengthening the casing's watertightness in the most stressed areas. This type of improvement would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with traditional machining.
It is precisely this ability to combine cost reduction and technical improvement that makes 3D printing attractive to Apple, far beyond a simple budgetary logic.
The MacBook Neo strategy, even industrial logic
The approach adopted for the MacBook Neo clearly illustrates this underlying trend. To offer its cheapest Mac ever, launched at 699 euros in March 2026, Apple did not resort to plastic: the group implemented a more efficient aluminum manufacturing process, in which the metal is first extruded and then formed under high pressure and high heat, according to MacGeneration. The result: an all-aluminum chassis, with 90% recycled materials, for an unprecedented entry-level price in the Mac range.
The logic is identical to what Apple is experimenting with for 3D printing. Rather than replacing a premium material with a less expensive equivalent, the company is investing in smarter manufacturing processes to maintain its quality standards while lowering costs. This industrial strategy now seems to be structuring for all of its product ranges.
If 3D printing of aluminum is validated on a large scale for the Apple Watch, its extension to the iPhone seems logical in the medium term. Apple has not yet announced a precise timeline, but the trajectory is clearly set: tomorrow's iPhone could well be born layer by layer, at the heart of an industrial printer controlled by laser.
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