How Apple makes a watch
Apple is the world's largest producer. Once it was necessary to clarify the "consumer electronics", but in the last quarter, Apple every 24 hours produced such a number of iPhones, which by weight compare with the Boeing 787 . Add all the other products, and you will see that Apple is one of the largest in terms of supply.
But Boeing gladly conducts excursions in his factory in Everett, WA, but Apple keeps its production secret. Therefore, we are all very interested in how the company manages to produce such high-quality products in such quantities.
The article describes in detail what we see in the videos from the Apple's Watch Craftsmanship website .
Gold is an inappropriate material for watches. Soft, malleable - it is incompatible with the loads that daily watches are subjected to. For a long time, metallurgists tried to combine gold with different materials in order to circumvent these restrictions. Standards for 18-carat gold leave room for the production of various alloys. It is only necessary that the final product contains 75-79% pure gold by weight. Apple patents were recently disclosed where the Metal Matrix Composite manufacturing process was described, which results in 18-carat gold that weighs less and withstands more
')
The first part of the video shows the process of creating an alloy. And from the 1:15 position something interesting begins. In casting molds, the crystal lattice of the alloy is almost perfectly aligned. And then defects-displacements are specially introduced into it, which harden the material and prevent its deformation under loads.
If you take a paper clip and try to bend and unbend it many times, at some point it will become harder than it was at the beginning. Displays are formed in the metal. In the end, the defects will accumulate and the clip will break, but in the middle of the process the metal is strengthened. Approximately the same happens in the manufacture of cases - only there are applied pressures of thousands of tons, and instead of clips in the forms are gold billets.
The process begins with the work of the end mill, which removes external defects from raw billets with high accuracy - up to 0.01 mm. This is important, as any deviations from the surface from the norm will lead to weak points in the final product.
The compression of the blanks itself must take place in several stages on a roller press, which is shown in the photo. A piece of metal passes here and there between two rollers, with each pass becoming thinner by several microns. The result is a blank with a given level of strength and a given thickness.
Then we are shown ready-made parts that are starting to look like a watch case. We are shown blanks that have traces of tools on the surfaces and have sharp edges. And then when the ultrasound density scanner is working, these edges are already ground. It is not clear why the workpiece should be removed from the milling machine only in order to insert it back there. Most likely, during the filming of the film, Apple changed the production process, and fragments of two different processes got into the film.
The blanks are placed in a submersible ultrasound scanner. He looks for voids or density variations inside the blanks that, under pressure, can lead to defects. Many manufacturers are unlikely to go for such serious checks (maybe only Rolex). Such checks are subjected to medical implants, which are to be loaded, or moving parts of aircraft engines. Such a scanner should be custom made and very expensive.
Proven blanks go to the cutter, which grinds them to the edge. Judging by the mount, I think it is a five-degree cutter, and in the next steps we will cut for the button, the digital crown and the ports for the speaker with a microphone.
Next we turn to frames with a crown, on which do notches. Apparently, it is already polished in advance so as not to disturb the edges of the serifs. The serif machine seems to be made to order, and has a thickening around the axis for longer life.
Unfortunately, the manufacturing process of the fastener components was decided not to be shown to us, which could be more interesting. The complex surface of the fastener, which, at the same time, possesses great precision and accuracy of manufacturing, requires complex and precise equipment such as three - dimensional mills .
The manufacturing process is completed by hand polishing of the cases. From other production videos, we know that Apple’s factories have machine polishing, so it’s hard to say whether the cases are completely polished by hand, or is it just the final polishing.
Stainless steel make the most quality watches in the world. Apple did not invent alloys and took the ASM 316L standard, a material better known as "surgical stainless steel." It is often used in the manufacture of medical instruments, implants and food processing equipment. This material resists the leakage of metal particles from the finished product, and therefore is well suited to people who are allergic to nickel. Therefore, it is used by manufacturers such as Rolex and Omega, and now Apple.
Like the video about gold, this video starts with beautiful shots from the factory where molten steel turns into “sticks”. Molten metal passes through the bottom of the crucible (usually located at the top) through the valve and through several steps that give it shape. In this case, the viscosity of the metal gradually increases. The process is controlled so that the resulting sticks have the desired structure and strength.
Image of how the blank should look
The video does not show the most important step - cold forging. A blank is placed between two superhard patterns. The hammer hits them, causing the template to flatten out under pressure of tens of thousands of tons. Under such pressure, the metal undergoes plastic deformation, bends, shrinks, and takes the form of a template. In the case of complex shapes, the workpiece goes through several such transformations.
The result is a rough shape, without small holes and grooves. Forging gives the metal strength. The illustration shows the structure of the cast metal, the machined workpiece and forged. The latter has an undisturbed mesh, repeating the shape of the product, which gives it strength.
Next we see the processing of blanks. Since forging is not a very precise process, further accurate machining of parts takes place.
The following shows the work of the cutter, making holes and other necessary actions from different angles.
We end up with a process that Apple loves to show off - a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). At the tip of the probe, a ruby ​​is strengthened, and this probe takes ultra-precise readings from the part and compares them with a CAD model. This allows you to automatically discard bad details, track the size changes during production and, on the most complex industries, give feedback to the milling machines so that they adjust their work.
In addition to measuring machines, Apple also likes to show automatic polishing - which is not surprising, considering how much time and effort the company has spent on improving this process. One of his tasks is to leave clear edges clear. Apple uses special polymer plugs for those parts of the product that must maintain sharp edges during polishing.
At the end of the video, it shows black variants of the hulls, and mentions the “carbon layer”. If we consider that Apple is thoughtful of clear wording, then most likely they use a tungsten coating (Tungsten DLC), which is obtained in the process of evaporative replacement. This is a very hard and thin layer of tungsten, connected to the surface in a vacuum. This is the standard blackening process for luxury watches, knives and some cutters. TDLC is known for its endurance.
Finally, we see several frames with parts of the Link bracelet and the Milanese strap. A small number of frames with the manufacture of the strap does not allow a detailed understanding of the process. It is not clear whether the wire is twisted in place, or whether it is already twisted and simply inserted into place. Electropolishing is most likely used to polish the strap.
It's no secret that Apple is an expert in mass production of aluminum products. It is not surprising that they use the same techniques as in the manufacture of the iPhone, with several new tricks, for the production of a sports watch.
In the manufacture of watches, the company switched from the 6000th series of alloys (with magnesium and silicon) to the 7000th, based on zinc. The closest commercial equivalent is alloy 6061 (the most popular material in production) and 7075 - their comparison coincides with what Johnny Ive says: “60% stronger, but just as light”.
Apple has always tried to perfect the extrusion process to create very complex, high-quality components. These efforts are often not appreciated - pay attention to the Apple TV remote control and the Magic Trackpad. In the case of watches, we see two aluminum sticks that come out of an extruder with already formed edges and, what is impressive, with an already very good surface quality. After the cut, we see how the workpiece passes the measurement in the CMM machine, and is transmitted to the milling machine.
In addition to the slightly modified grip that holds the workpiece obtained by extrusion, rather than forged, and a few other tools for cutting, the processing of all three materials is about the same. This frame shows the use of other common production methods characteristic of cutters with five degrees of freedom.
And here is one of the unusual processes in which Apple leads - laser processing. In the video about aluminum, it occurs twice, but this particular frame is quite impressive. Conventional processing leaves burrs on metal, sometimes 0.05 mm thick, which are the curse of locksmiths. They can be removed with very small tools, manually, by grinding or by other processes that have their drawbacks.
Apple uses a laser to remove burrs and other defects. I want to turn to the engineer who invented this trick and say how ingenious it is. Bravo!
I develop aluminum parts, but I have already given up trying to give them the quality they get from Apple. No other company has achieved such success in this matter. To get closer to this level, you need to either invest money in equipment that is comparable in price to CNC (roboruki with 6 degrees of freedom), or pay insane money for manual polishing and put up with 10% rejection.
Here you can see how the body is fixed in the polishing machine. Unlike the stainless steel version, the buttons and digital crowns are not protected. This is not necessary, because in the extrusion process, this side of the body initially turns out to be perfect, and it is not necessary to polish it.
Now the surface is brought to perfection by abrasive processing with glass beads. Swivel nozzles reach to all sides of the surface of the body at all imaginable angles.
The molded, machined, laser-finished and polished body is further anodized. This process creates a thick and uniform layer of aluminum oxide film on the surface of the part, protecting it from exposure to air. In fact, this film is a very hard ceramics - this layer protects aluminum from scratches. In addition, it forms a mesh structure that can be reliably colored for some time.
Apple is engaged in anodizing metal, probably more than any other company, and for a moment we see a well-optimized array of holders with Sport cases. Most of the holders are universal, while Apple uses holders of a special shape that are very tight around the parts. This is another detail, looking at which, an engineer from any other company will think: "Yoksel-moksel, so we would have such a budget."
And at the end another interesting frame - while steel and gold crowns are polished, the version for Sport is processed by a laser. You may notice that it is already polished, but it is not clear whether it has already been anodized or not yet. I suspect that the gold and stainless versions are machined with mills, so that the surface has a high reflectivity.
Interestingly, the internal design of the gold watch has a pocket, which aluminum and steel do not have. It is difficult to say whether it is necessary for rigidity, or whether it is done to reduce the weight of the body.
There were also rumors about a 6-pin port, hidden under the strap fastening, which is used for diagnostics. In the video about the aluminum version, we see the case with all the ports - but these videos could have been removed in the production of prototypes.
Johnny Eve often speaks of "care." This is a strange word, in which there is no traditional meaning of “skill” as applied to manual labor. Not in it and those shades that are present in the manufacture of Japanese cars or German tools. Caring here means respecting the source materials and the end result - without caring about what it takes to link these two opposite ends of the production process. It would have been possible not to use cold forging or reinforcement of the gold case, and no one would feel and look inside the recess for the microphone - but it was still treated with a laser to achieve perfection.
I watch the video and see a process that could only be created by a team seeking to complete a task at a level beyond simple need. It’s not just the supply chain, it’s Apple’s ritual to meet standards that allow them to compete with companies with a hundred years of experience.
But Boeing gladly conducts excursions in his factory in Everett, WA, but Apple keeps its production secret. Therefore, we are all very interested in how the company manages to produce such high-quality products in such quantities.
The article describes in detail what we see in the videos from the Apple's Watch Craftsmanship website .
Gold
Gold is an inappropriate material for watches. Soft, malleable - it is incompatible with the loads that daily watches are subjected to. For a long time, metallurgists tried to combine gold with different materials in order to circumvent these restrictions. Standards for 18-carat gold leave room for the production of various alloys. It is only necessary that the final product contains 75-79% pure gold by weight. Apple patents were recently disclosed where the Metal Matrix Composite manufacturing process was described, which results in 18-carat gold that weighs less and withstands more
')
The first part of the video shows the process of creating an alloy. And from the 1:15 position something interesting begins. In casting molds, the crystal lattice of the alloy is almost perfectly aligned. And then defects-displacements are specially introduced into it, which harden the material and prevent its deformation under loads.
If you take a paper clip and try to bend and unbend it many times, at some point it will become harder than it was at the beginning. Displays are formed in the metal. In the end, the defects will accumulate and the clip will break, but in the middle of the process the metal is strengthened. Approximately the same happens in the manufacture of cases - only there are applied pressures of thousands of tons, and instead of clips in the forms are gold billets.
The process begins with the work of the end mill, which removes external defects from raw billets with high accuracy - up to 0.01 mm. This is important, as any deviations from the surface from the norm will lead to weak points in the final product.
The compression of the blanks itself must take place in several stages on a roller press, which is shown in the photo. A piece of metal passes here and there between two rollers, with each pass becoming thinner by several microns. The result is a blank with a given level of strength and a given thickness.
Then we are shown ready-made parts that are starting to look like a watch case. We are shown blanks that have traces of tools on the surfaces and have sharp edges. And then when the ultrasound density scanner is working, these edges are already ground. It is not clear why the workpiece should be removed from the milling machine only in order to insert it back there. Most likely, during the filming of the film, Apple changed the production process, and fragments of two different processes got into the film.
The blanks are placed in a submersible ultrasound scanner. He looks for voids or density variations inside the blanks that, under pressure, can lead to defects. Many manufacturers are unlikely to go for such serious checks (maybe only Rolex). Such checks are subjected to medical implants, which are to be loaded, or moving parts of aircraft engines. Such a scanner should be custom made and very expensive.
Proven blanks go to the cutter, which grinds them to the edge. Judging by the mount, I think it is a five-degree cutter, and in the next steps we will cut for the button, the digital crown and the ports for the speaker with a microphone.
Next we turn to frames with a crown, on which do notches. Apparently, it is already polished in advance so as not to disturb the edges of the serifs. The serif machine seems to be made to order, and has a thickening around the axis for longer life.
Unfortunately, the manufacturing process of the fastener components was decided not to be shown to us, which could be more interesting. The complex surface of the fastener, which, at the same time, possesses great precision and accuracy of manufacturing, requires complex and precise equipment such as three - dimensional mills .
The manufacturing process is completed by hand polishing of the cases. From other production videos, we know that Apple’s factories have machine polishing, so it’s hard to say whether the cases are completely polished by hand, or is it just the final polishing.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel make the most quality watches in the world. Apple did not invent alloys and took the ASM 316L standard, a material better known as "surgical stainless steel." It is often used in the manufacture of medical instruments, implants and food processing equipment. This material resists the leakage of metal particles from the finished product, and therefore is well suited to people who are allergic to nickel. Therefore, it is used by manufacturers such as Rolex and Omega, and now Apple.
Like the video about gold, this video starts with beautiful shots from the factory where molten steel turns into “sticks”. Molten metal passes through the bottom of the crucible (usually located at the top) through the valve and through several steps that give it shape. In this case, the viscosity of the metal gradually increases. The process is controlled so that the resulting sticks have the desired structure and strength.
Image of how the blank should look
The video does not show the most important step - cold forging. A blank is placed between two superhard patterns. The hammer hits them, causing the template to flatten out under pressure of tens of thousands of tons. Under such pressure, the metal undergoes plastic deformation, bends, shrinks, and takes the form of a template. In the case of complex shapes, the workpiece goes through several such transformations.
The result is a rough shape, without small holes and grooves. Forging gives the metal strength. The illustration shows the structure of the cast metal, the machined workpiece and forged. The latter has an undisturbed mesh, repeating the shape of the product, which gives it strength.
Next we see the processing of blanks. Since forging is not a very precise process, further accurate machining of parts takes place.
The following shows the work of the cutter, making holes and other necessary actions from different angles.
We end up with a process that Apple loves to show off - a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). At the tip of the probe, a ruby ​​is strengthened, and this probe takes ultra-precise readings from the part and compares them with a CAD model. This allows you to automatically discard bad details, track the size changes during production and, on the most complex industries, give feedback to the milling machines so that they adjust their work.
In addition to measuring machines, Apple also likes to show automatic polishing - which is not surprising, considering how much time and effort the company has spent on improving this process. One of his tasks is to leave clear edges clear. Apple uses special polymer plugs for those parts of the product that must maintain sharp edges during polishing.
At the end of the video, it shows black variants of the hulls, and mentions the “carbon layer”. If we consider that Apple is thoughtful of clear wording, then most likely they use a tungsten coating (Tungsten DLC), which is obtained in the process of evaporative replacement. This is a very hard and thin layer of tungsten, connected to the surface in a vacuum. This is the standard blackening process for luxury watches, knives and some cutters. TDLC is known for its endurance.
Finally, we see several frames with parts of the Link bracelet and the Milanese strap. A small number of frames with the manufacture of the strap does not allow a detailed understanding of the process. It is not clear whether the wire is twisted in place, or whether it is already twisted and simply inserted into place. Electropolishing is most likely used to polish the strap.
Aluminum
It's no secret that Apple is an expert in mass production of aluminum products. It is not surprising that they use the same techniques as in the manufacture of the iPhone, with several new tricks, for the production of a sports watch.
In the manufacture of watches, the company switched from the 6000th series of alloys (with magnesium and silicon) to the 7000th, based on zinc. The closest commercial equivalent is alloy 6061 (the most popular material in production) and 7075 - their comparison coincides with what Johnny Ive says: “60% stronger, but just as light”.
Apple has always tried to perfect the extrusion process to create very complex, high-quality components. These efforts are often not appreciated - pay attention to the Apple TV remote control and the Magic Trackpad. In the case of watches, we see two aluminum sticks that come out of an extruder with already formed edges and, what is impressive, with an already very good surface quality. After the cut, we see how the workpiece passes the measurement in the CMM machine, and is transmitted to the milling machine.
In addition to the slightly modified grip that holds the workpiece obtained by extrusion, rather than forged, and a few other tools for cutting, the processing of all three materials is about the same. This frame shows the use of other common production methods characteristic of cutters with five degrees of freedom.
And here is one of the unusual processes in which Apple leads - laser processing. In the video about aluminum, it occurs twice, but this particular frame is quite impressive. Conventional processing leaves burrs on metal, sometimes 0.05 mm thick, which are the curse of locksmiths. They can be removed with very small tools, manually, by grinding or by other processes that have their drawbacks.
Apple uses a laser to remove burrs and other defects. I want to turn to the engineer who invented this trick and say how ingenious it is. Bravo!
I develop aluminum parts, but I have already given up trying to give them the quality they get from Apple. No other company has achieved such success in this matter. To get closer to this level, you need to either invest money in equipment that is comparable in price to CNC (roboruki with 6 degrees of freedom), or pay insane money for manual polishing and put up with 10% rejection.
Here you can see how the body is fixed in the polishing machine. Unlike the stainless steel version, the buttons and digital crowns are not protected. This is not necessary, because in the extrusion process, this side of the body initially turns out to be perfect, and it is not necessary to polish it.
Now the surface is brought to perfection by abrasive processing with glass beads. Swivel nozzles reach to all sides of the surface of the body at all imaginable angles.
The molded, machined, laser-finished and polished body is further anodized. This process creates a thick and uniform layer of aluminum oxide film on the surface of the part, protecting it from exposure to air. In fact, this film is a very hard ceramics - this layer protects aluminum from scratches. In addition, it forms a mesh structure that can be reliably colored for some time.
Apple is engaged in anodizing metal, probably more than any other company, and for a moment we see a well-optimized array of holders with Sport cases. Most of the holders are universal, while Apple uses holders of a special shape that are very tight around the parts. This is another detail, looking at which, an engineer from any other company will think: "Yoksel-moksel, so we would have such a budget."
And at the end another interesting frame - while steel and gold crowns are polished, the version for Sport is processed by a laser. You may notice that it is already polished, but it is not clear whether it has already been anodized or not yet. I suspect that the gold and stainless versions are machined with mills, so that the surface has a high reflectivity.
Notes
Interestingly, the internal design of the gold watch has a pocket, which aluminum and steel do not have. It is difficult to say whether it is necessary for rigidity, or whether it is done to reduce the weight of the body.
There were also rumors about a 6-pin port, hidden under the strap fastening, which is used for diagnostics. In the video about the aluminum version, we see the case with all the ports - but these videos could have been removed in the production of prototypes.
Johnny Eve often speaks of "care." This is a strange word, in which there is no traditional meaning of “skill” as applied to manual labor. Not in it and those shades that are present in the manufacture of Japanese cars or German tools. Caring here means respecting the source materials and the end result - without caring about what it takes to link these two opposite ends of the production process. It would have been possible not to use cold forging or reinforcement of the gold case, and no one would feel and look inside the recess for the microphone - but it was still treated with a laser to achieve perfection.
I watch the video and see a process that could only be created by a team seeking to complete a task at a level beyond simple need. It’s not just the supply chain, it’s Apple’s ritual to meet standards that allow them to compete with companies with a hundred years of experience.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/366551/
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