Apple Spurs Titanium 3D Printing Boom, While Kaihe Technology Tackles Raw Material Costs with 100% Recycled Titanium Powder

On September 10, 2025, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Ultra 3, featuring a 100% recycled 3D-printed titanium alloy frame. With its dual hallmarks of sustainability and innovation, the launch ignited market attention and placed “recycled titanium + 3D printing” at the forefront of advanced manufacturing trends.

In this fast-rising field, Kaihe Technology of Ningbo has already built a competitive edge through its proprietary DH-S® (Dehydrogenation Spheroidal) titanium powder technology. Offering a portfolio of eco-friendly recycled titanium powders and full-chain solutions, Kaihe is delivering low-cost + high-sustainability options for 3C electronics, healthcare, automotive, MIM, and 3D printing applications.

Apple’s Benchmark: 100% Recycled Titanium

Apple’s choice of recycled titanium is not merely a technical experiment, but a strategic move aligning with global manufacturing’s shift toward sustainability. Titanium alloys—lightweight, strong, and corrosion-resistant—are ideal for high-end applications, yet conventional production is energy-intensive and costly. The combination of recycling + additive manufacturing both closes the material loop and enables complex, efficient part designs—perfectly fitting Apple’s 2030 carbon-neutral roadmap.

Kaihe has already achieved GRS 4.0 (Global Recycled Standard) certification, with its DH-S® powders labeled “100% Recycled Post-Consumer Titanium”, ensuring traceability and alignment with ESG goals.

DH-S® Titanium Powder: Solving Cost and Capacity Bottlenecks

Kaihe’s proprietary DH-S® technology revolutionizes titanium powder production:

1. Cost Revolution — Near Stainless Steel Pricing

o Sources feedstock from CNC scrap, sponge titanium, and coarse powders (>53 μm), breaking raw material constraints.

o Makes titanium affordable for wider applications—consumer electronics, watches, and beyond.

2. Adjustable Particle Sizes, Scalable Production

o Traditional EIGA yields only 10% fine powders (0–20 μm) and ~40% mid-range (15–53 μm).

o DH-S® achieves 92% yield with tunable size distributions, 100% tailored to customer needs.

o Current capacity: 9,500 m² facility, scaling toward 500 tons annually.

3. High-Performance Properties

o Mechanical strength: Tensile 950 MPa, yield 850 MPa, elongation 15%—well above ASTM F2885-11.

o Corrosion resistance: >240h in SST tests.

o Powder flowability: Hall flow 20–50 s/50g; loose density ≥2.3 g/cm³; sphericity ≥0.9.

o Oxygen control: Proprietary grinding + dual reduction keeps O₂ at 1500–1800 ppm, with optional further reductions.

o Compatible with SLM 3D printing and MIM mass production.

One-Stop Customization

Beyond powders, Kaihe offers end-to-end services: alloy composition customization, feedstock design, and small-batch validation—significantly shortening development cycles for manufacturers.

Conclusion: From “Apple Effect” to Industry Shift

Apple’s adoption of 3D-printed recycled titanium has sent ripples across global manufacturing, signaling that eco-friendly, lightweight, and precision-driven production will define the future of high-end manufacturing.

With its DH-S® recycled titanium powders—backed by cost efficiency, high performance, certification, and scalability—Kaihe Technology has positioned itself as a key enabler of this shift. Its innovations not only solve raw material bottlenecks but also push the industry toward a greener, more sustainable future.