Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,901,458) for “titanium parts having a blasted surface texture.” The tech giant offers a titanium Apple Watch, but we may see titanium Macs, iPads, and iPhones.
In the patent data, Apple notes enclosures for portable electronic devices can be formed of various metals (e.g., anodized aluminum, etc.) having a high amount of strength and stiffness to protect these operational components. The tech giant says that, additionally, it’s preferable to process these enclosures such as to impart these enclosures with an attractive surface finish.
However, specific types of metals, although having a high amount of strength and stiffness, are also difficult to process to impart an attractive surface finish. Apple says there’s a need to implement techniques for processing these specific types of metals. The answer? Titanium parts having a blasted surface texture.
Here’s the summary of the invention: “This application relates to an enclosure for a portable electronic device. The enclosure includes a titanium substrate having a textured surface that includes peaks separated by valleys, where the textured surface is characterized as having (i) an Sdq (root mean square gradient) that is greater than 0.2 micrometers, and (ii) a gloss value that is greater than 90 gloss units as measured at 60 degrees by a gloss meter.”
