CUPERTINO, California, January 2026 — Apple is actively investigating the use of 3D-printed aluminum components for future iPhones and Apple Watches, according to people familiar with the company’s supply chain and manufacturing experiments.
The initiative focuses on additive manufacturing techniques—commonly known as metal 3D printing—to produce aluminum chassis parts, frames, or structural elements with greater design flexibility and potentially lower waste than traditional CNC machining.
Sources indicate Apple has been testing prototypes in secret facilities and working with select suppliers capable of high-precision metal powder bed fusion.
3D printing aluminum could allow more complex internal geometries, lighter weight structures, and faster iteration on new designs. It would also reduce material waste compared to subtractive methods currently used for iPhone frames and Apple Watch cases.
However, challenges remain: current metal 3D printing processes are slower, more expensive at scale, and produce parts with slightly different mechanical properties (such as fatigue strength) than forged or machined aluminum.
The exploration is part of Apple’s long-term push to innovate in materials and manufacturing. The company already uses titanium in premium models (iPhone 15 Pro and later) and has experimented with carbon fiber, ceramic, and other advanced materials.
A shift to 3D-printed aluminum would mark one of the first high-volume consumer electronics applications of the technology at this scale.
Apple has not confirmed the reports or provided a timeline. Any production-scale adoption would likely appear in models several years away, possibly in the iPhone 18 or 19 series or future Apple Watch generations.
The move aligns with broader industry interest in additive manufacturing for consumer devices. Samsung and other manufacturers have explored similar techniques, though none have reached mass production for flagship phones.
If successful, the approach could reduce manufacturing costs over time, improve sustainability by minimizing material waste, and enable new design possibilities—such as integrated heat dissipation structures or thinner bezels.
