Teardown Reveals: Apple’s iPhone Air USB-C Port Is 3D-Printed in Titanium — Made in China

October 2025 — Panda3dp.com Exclusive
Foreign tech enthusiasts recently disassembled Apple’s latest iPhone Air and made a surprising discovery: the USB-C port housing is 3D-printed in titanium — and it’s manufactured by a Chinese metal 3D printing company.

Using a DSX2000 digital microscope, teardown images revealed the intricate structure and surface texture of the port, confirming the use of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. Panda3dp.com consulted several metal 3D printing experts, who verified that the component was indeed produced in China. The revelation even caused a surge in the stock prices of several domestic metal additive manufacturing firms.

Apple’s First Use of 3D-Printed Titanium in iPhones

In September 2025, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone Air, its thinnest iPhone ever at just 5.6 mm thick, and confirmed that it features a 3D-printed titanium USB-C port.

According to Apple, the 3D-printed port offers three key advantages over traditional forged designs:

1. Thinner and lighter structure

2. Improved mechanical strength

3. 33% reduction in material usage, aligning with Apple’s environmental sustainability goals

Apple also disclosed that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11 now use 3D-printed titanium cases, consuming only half the raw material compared to previous generations.

Durability and Design Trade-Offs

While the innovation marks a major step forward in precision manufacturing, the teardown expert noted that the scratch resistance of the 3D-printed titanium port is lower than that of the aerospace-grade titanium used in the phone’s outer frame. However, as the USB-C port is an internal structural component, this difference is functionally insignificant.

Chinese Additive Manufacturing Power Behind the Scenes

When asked which Chinese companies supplied the 3D printers and titanium powder, Panda3dp.com referred readers to its “China 3D Printing Industry Directory” (link), which lists dozens of metal 3D printing manufacturers and material suppliers.

Although specific vendor details remain confidential due to commercial agreements, the discovery underscores the technological maturity and global competitiveness of China’s metal additive manufacturing industry — now capable of meeting the stringent precision and quality standards of Apple’s supply chain.

Performance Note

Despite the cutting-edge titanium 3D printing process, the iPhone Air’s USB-C port still retains USB 2.0 transfer speeds, capped at 480 Mb/s — a reminder that not every design innovation translates to higher data throughput.

Nonetheless, this small yet symbolic component marks a milestone in the consumer electronics industry — signaling that 3D-printed metal parts have officially entered mass-market flagship devices, with China at the forefront of this transformation.