Apple’s recently released iPhone 15 Pro series uses a titanium alloy body, making the new model the lightest and narrowest Pro model. Previously released Honor Magic V2, iWatch Ultra and other products also use titanium alloy parts.

The application of titanium alloys in the 3C industry is expected to form a trend:

Previously, the materials for parts such as mobile phone casings were mainly stainless steel and aluminum alloy. The former was stronger but heavier; the latter had the advantage of being lightweight but had average sturdiness. Titanium metal can better balance hardness and weight. The use of titanium alloy in the middle frame, outer casing and other positions that have certain strength requirements will bring significant weight reduction and enhance the overall experience of the product. Apple and Android head manufacturers are actively adopting titanium alloy materials and are expected to lead the upsurge in the application of titanium alloy materials in the 3C industry.In the future, as the industrial chain matures and costs decrease, we believe that more and more products (such as AR/VR, notebooks, etc.) and brands will use titanium alloy materials. The application of titanium alloys in the 3C industry is expected to form a trend.

Titanium alloy processing is difficult, and processing equipment and consumables have high barriers. Titanium alloy has the characteristics of high strength, good thermal stability, high high-temperature strength, high chemical activity, and low thermal conductivity. The higher the temperature, the higher the hardness. It is one of the most difficult materials to process, and polishing processing is very difficult. During the grinding and polishing process of titanium alloys, there are problems such as grinding wheel bonding and easy burn and deformation of the workpiece. This puts forward higher requirements for grinding and polishing equipment and materials. The related grinder and abrasive tool industries have high barriers.

3D printing technology is gradually maturing and is expected to accelerate its penetration into the 3C field. As a typical difficult-to-machine material, titanium alloy is very difficult to process. As an additive manufacturing technology, 3D printing has been used in the field of military titanium alloy processing for many years, and has also been used in the manufacturing of Honor Magic V2 related parts in the 3C field. We believe that there is still a lot of room for cost reduction in 3D printing of titanium alloys. In the future, as the application of titanium alloy materials in the 3C industry accelerates, the 3D printing industry is also expected to open up new market space.

The market space for titanium alloy materials is vast. ReportLinker data shows that the global titanium metal market has a CAGR of approximately 5% in the past five years, and the market size is expected to reach approximately US$6.6 billion by the end of 2026, while the smartphone market is expected to become an important area for titanium metal applications. We expect that the application of titanium alloy materials in smartphone manufacturing will further expand, driving the growth of the titanium metal market .