"The 'Ultimate Apple Analyst': Some titanium mechanical components of the new Watch Ultra may be 3D printed."

On Friday, July 14th, renowned "Apple's strongest analyst" Guo Mingchi from TF International Securities wrote an article stating that, according to his latest survey of suppliers, tech giant Apple is actively adopting 3D printing technology. It is expected that some mechanical components made of titanium will be implemented using 3D printing technology in the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which is set to be released this fall.

The report mentions that although these components still require post-processing through CNC procedures after being 3D printed, meaning that the 3D printed products will still undergo traditional computer numerical control technology for final processing, the shift to 3D printing technology itself is expected to shorten production time and reduce production costs.

Based on these benefits, if suppliers can deliver smoothly, he predicts that more Apple electronic products will adopt 3D printing technology in the future, which will be beneficial for improving Apple's supply chain production costs and ESG performance (referring to environmental, social, and governance indicators related to a company's sustainable development).

Regarding the 3D printer suppliers for the mechanical parts of the Apple Watch Ultra, one of the world's largest fiber laser manufacturers, IPG Photonics from the United States, is the exclusive supplier of laser components. The printer suppliers are Huashuogaoke (Farsoon) and Bolt (BLT). Guo Mingchi expects that the aforementioned suppliers will continue to benefit from Apple's new manufacturing trend of shifting towards 3D printing.

Afternoon trading saw Apple's stock price change from a rise to a decline of 0.3%, while IPG Photonics narrowed its decline from 2.6% to 1.4%, falling below the highest point since February last year.

Media analysis focused on reporting Apple news suggests that the mechanical components "testing the waters" of 3D printing in the Apple Watch Ultra may include the digital crown, side button, and action button, as these are the only mechanical parts of the Apple Watch Ultra. Currently, these titanium parts are manufactured using traditional CNC processes.

The orange circular object in the image is the digital crown, taken from the Apple official website.

According to Apple's official website, the Apple Watch Ultra, which will be launched for the first time in the fall of 2022, is a "high-performance sports watch" with a starting price of up to $800. It belongs to the most expensive category in the Apple smartwatch series and is mainly targeted at "hardcore" enthusiasts who love outdoor and extreme sports. It is different from the Apple Watch Series 8, which is launched at the same time and is aimed at ordinary consumers.

Some analysts also pointed out that currently only Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who is known for reporting on Apple and other technology news, has predicted that Apple will release the second generation of Apple Watch Ultra later this year, along with the ninth generation Apple Watch Series 9:

"Therefore, Guo Mingchi's latest research report seems to further prove that the Apple Watch Ultra will follow the tradition of the standard Apple Watch series, which releases a new generation of products every year."

Technology media analysts have also noticed that there seems to be little news about the new features of the Apple Watch Ultra, including Guo Mingchi's research report, which lacks any exciting upgrades aimed at end users:

"Earlier this year, Jeff Pu predicted that the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 may be equipped with a larger display screen, and later media confirmed that the screen may increase by 10%.

The transition to OLED micro-displays may also happen in 2024, rather than this year. Therefore, due to the lack of significant functional/technological upgrades, the sales of Apple Watch may decline in 2023."

The use of 3D printing technology in the manufacturing of electronic products is still a emerging frontier. As a giant in the consumer electronics industry and the world's most valuable company, the potential for Apple to integrate with 3D printing technology has become one of the focus topics in the industry.

Last year, there were speculations in the media that Apple has used 3D printing technology in the development stage to manufacture electronic products, indicating that this emerging technology has been applied to some extent within the company. Perhaps Apple, with its strong financial resources, will directly acquire Optomec to ensure supply chain security. Optomec is an American company engaged in the production of 3D printing metal and electronic product additive manufacturing systems. Apple may use Optomec's Aerojet technology to mass-produce 3D printed chips, circuits, antennas, or other components.

After Apple launches its first mixed reality head-mounted display device this year, some people also believe that it will have a significant impact on the $13.5 billion 3D printing industry, because "most AR/VR companies definitely rely on 3D printing to some extent, at least at the product design level":

Apple's latest product may launch a niche market in this industry, namely "additively manufactured electronics" (AME).