Application of 3D Printed Titanium Alloy in Products by Apple, Honor, and Others
In July 2023, Huawei's Honor Magic V2 folding screen smartphone announced the use of 3D printed titanium alloy technology for its hinge, marking the first large-scale application of 3D printing in the consumer electronics field. According to Bloomberg, the Apple Watch Series 9 case is made using stainless steel binder jetting metal 3D printing. The digital crown, side buttons, and some other operational buttons of the Apple Watch Ultra are produced using titanium alloy powder bed fusion (L-PBF) metal 3D printing. If the smartwatch tests are successful, Apple may seek to use this technology in more products in the coming years.
In September 2023, Apple launched the new iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2 at its fall event, both featuring titanium alloy frames. In October, Xiaomi released the Xiaomi 14 series, including a special titanium version of the Xiaomi 14 Pro. Among these 3C products using titanium materials, the Honor folding screen hinge cover and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 case are made entirely of titanium alloy. In contrast, Apple and Xiaomi phones use titanium-aluminum composite materials, where the inner base plate is aluminum, and the outer frame is titanium. Apple uses titanium alloy, while Xiaomi uses 99% pure titanium. Compared to the previously widely used aluminum alloy and stainless steel in the 3C industry, the CNC machining difficulty of titanium alloy is significantly higher, making 3D printing a promising alternative processing method.
With the demonstration effect of leading manufacturers, 3D printing technology is expected to expand to more consumer electronic products, and the application of titanium alloy in the 3C industry has already become a trend.
Future Market Potential
Looking at the market potential of 3D printed titanium alloy in the consumer electronics field, there are currently three types of components using titanium alloy. According to professional institutions, if the penetration rate of 3D printed titanium alloy hinges reaches 50% by 2027, the market space will reach 6 billion yuan. For smartphone frames and smartwatches, based on estimates of smartphone and smartwatch shipments, reasonable assumptions about penetration rates, value proportions, per unit usage, titanium alloy prices, and powder utilization rates, it is projected that by 2027, with a 20% penetration rate of 3D printing, the global market space for smartphones and smartwatches will be 48.635 billion yuan and 6.342 billion yuan, respectively. The Chinese market will be 10.82 billion yuan and 3.18 billion yuan.
Some institutions believe that with an 80% penetration rate of 3D printed titanium alloy hinge covers for folding screens, an 80% penetration rate of 3D printed titanium alloy cases for Apple Watches, and a 25% penetration rate of 3D printed titanium alloy frames for iPhones by 2027, the cumulative market sizes from 2023 to 2027 for 3D printed titanium alloy products, 3D printing equipment, 3D printing powder, 3D printing lasers, and 3D printing galvanometers will be 19.843 billion yuan, 16.44 billion yuan, 2.419 billion yuan, 941 million yuan, and 1.222 billion yuan, respectively.
As 3D printing technology continues to develop, its application fields are expanding, driven by the R&D and manufacturing of new products, continuously extending downstream. More and more fields are transitioning to additive manufacturing production.
According to statistics from Wohlers Associates, an American consulting firm specializing in additive manufacturing, the global additive manufacturing output value (including products and services) in 2021 was $15.244 billion, an increase of 19.50% year-on-year. After more than 30 years of development, the additive manufacturing industry is moving from its infancy to a growth phase, showing a rapid growth trend in recent years. Wohlers predicts that by 2025, the revenue scale of additive manufacturing is expected to reach $29.8 billion, with a CAGR of 18.24% from 2021 to 2025. By 2030, it is expected to reach $85.3 billion, with a CAGR of 23.41% from 2025 to 2030.