There has been news recently that the iPhone 14 will use titanium alloy components, and the newly exposed patent application document 20210348294 just reveals the possibility that Apple will do so. As early as 2017, Patently Apple mentioned a patent in a report entitled Apple is exploring the use of titanium alloys and hybrid plastics in future devices. After that, the website has successively shared another six patent reports.
Today, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced another patent application from Apple, which is known as Titanium Parts with Anodized Layers. The article mainly relates to the manufacturing technology of titanium parts. The exact example is the system and method for “forming anodized layer in the textured surface of titanium parts”.
Although the patent mentions product lines including MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch and iPhone, this technology can one day be used. However, given that the patent applicants include iPhone product design engineers (also the only hardware engineers listed in the list), it is not difficult to speculate that the iPhone will be the first to use the new technology.
Take portable electronic devices such as iPhone as an example. During the process, it is necessary to consider the adaptation of screens, processors, antennas and other components, and the housing body can avoid physical damage to the operating parts (such as accidental drops).
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Patently Apple points out that the device casing can be formed of various metals, such as titanium or titanium alloys-but the latter is more suitable for coloring by the anodizing process. The embarrassing thing is that the anodized layer is easily affected by wear and mechanical stress.
The good news is that there is evidence that the durability of the anodized layer can be easily improved by forming an anodized layer in the grooves (peaks and valleys) on the surface of the titanium alloy, especially the anodized layer can be recessed relative to the outer surface of the titanium alloy.
Closer to home, Apple described in its patent application that the new process can expose titanium alloys to selective etching to achieve surface texturing. Then cover the outer surface of the titanium alloy to form an anodic oxide film, and then remove the anodic oxide layer from the peaks by using a mechanical finishing process (such as sandblasting).
In this way, the anodic oxide layer can cover the valleys (rather than the peaks) more, so as to better protect the color of the anodic oxide layer and make the appearance and color of the device more durable.
