These clever new manufacturing processes are good for both Apple and the environment

Apple hardware design lead Molly Anderson said that the company started from scratch when it came to the process for manufacturing the new MacBook Neo, resulting in far more efficient use of materials.

The company is also reportedly looking to adopt an extremely challenging manufacturing technique for the aluminum chassis of future iPhones and Apple Watch models …

Apple had already touted the environmental credentials of its latest laptop, saying that it set a new record for recycled materials.

It features 60 percent recycled content — the highest percentage of any Apple product. This includes 90 percent recycled aluminum overall and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery.

New MacBook Neo machining process

The company also referenced a new manufacturing process, but didn’t provide details at the time.

The enclosure is manufactured with a material-efficient forming process that uses 50 percent less aluminum compared to traditional machining methods.

For previous MacBooks, Apple had started with a rectangular piece of aluminium and machined it to shape. That resulted in significant unused offcuts. For the MacBook Neo, however, Anderson explained that the company was able to dramatically reduce the amount of unused aluminum.

“We started with an extrusion, we flatten and then form it with heat and pressure to get as close as possible to the shape of the final product,” explained Anderson. “Then we fine machine to create the profile.” According to Anderson this […] halved the amount of material used.

Reducing materials wastage is good for Apple’s margins, but also good for the environment. While the company will of course recycle the offcuts to the extent possible, reducing the number of them is a more efficient approach. Anderson added that it also reduced the amount of machining time involved, which likely reduces power consumption too.

3D printing iPhone and Apple Watch chassis

Apple first started using 3D printing for the titanium chassis of the Apple Watch Ultra 3. The company said at the time that this allowed it to use 100% recycled titanium powder and was a more efficient use of the material.

A Bloomberg report says that the company is now working on ways to 3D print aluminum for the chassis of both future iPhone and Apple Watch models.

3D printing aluminum is a notoriously challenging process for a number of reasons. High reflectivity and thermal conductivity makes the material difficult to form with lasers, and extreme precision is needed to avoid the risk of microscopic internal voids which can reduce the strength of the finished product.

For these reasons, it’s typically only commonly used in applications like aviation and automaking, where the weight savings and large material volumes can justify the complexity of the manufacturing process. Apple successfully implementing it in mass production of small consumer electronics devices would be a significant achievement.

Wins for Apple and the environment

Being able to highlight the environmental credentials of new products while also saving money manufacturing them is the ultimate win-win for Apple’s bottom line and the environment.

• Official Apple Store on Amazon
• Apple’s iPhone cases: iPhone 17 | iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max | iPhone Air
• Wireless CarPlay adapter (2026 update)
• AirTag holders and accessories
• Mac Pro-style Mac mini casing
• NordVPN – privacy-first VPN with no logs and independent audits to verify

Photo by Opt Lasers on Unsplash