India, Nov. 19 -- Apple has taken a major step in its manufacturing strategy by adopting fully 3D-printed titanium cases for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11. The company says this move supports its long-term environmental roadmap and reduces the amount of raw material needed for production. Both new models now rely on 100 percent recycled aerospace-grade titanium powder for their external shells, which will mark a full shift from earlier forging methods.

Apple has replaced the earlier practice of shaping cases from large titanium blocks with an additive production method. The new process builds each watch case layer by layer, and every unit goes through more than 900 printed layers before entering the finishing stage. A...