Apple is exploring 3D-printed aluminum for iPhone and Apple Watch casings

Apple is exploring 3D printing aluminum for use in iPhone and Apple Watch manufacturing. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the most reliable sources on Apple in the industry, reported on the development.

According to Gurman, the new production process could change how Apple manufactures watch casings and iPhone enclosures. It wouldn't be the first time Apple has used 3D printing – both Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 were partially built with 3D-printed titanium made from 100 percent recycled material. More recently, Apple applied the same approach to create the titanium USB-C port on the iPhone Air, which was pitched as thinner, stronger, and more environmentally friendly.

Right now it's still at the research stage, but moving to 3D-printed aluminum could potentially lower production costs and bring down iPhone starting prices.

There's already a precedent – the recently announced MacBook Neo uses a new manufacturing process that reduces aluminum consumption, which helped Apple hit a $599 starting price for its latest entry-level laptop.

Beyond manufacturing experiments, Gurman also reported that Apple is preparing a "refreshed color palette" for the iMac, which is expected to be revealed later this year.