The use of titanium alloy in the field of consumer electronics has increased, high strength and light weight are advantages, and the difficulty of processing has led to an increase in the demand for updating the amount of related processing equipment and consumables. Compared with traditional stainless steel and aluminum alloys, titanium can better balance hardness and weight, and meet the needs of increasing screen size, improving the strength of the frame, and improving the use experience in the 3C field. 
Figure: Xiaomi 14 Pro middle frame is made of 99% pure titanium and aluminum alloy materials to create a global 3D printing folding screen hinge and smart watch case, and the potential device demand is expected to reach 52 by 20278.5 billion yuan.
1) Demand for titanium alloy hinges for 3D printed folding screen mobile phones: Assuming that the penetration rate of titanium alloys in China's folding screen mobile phone field increases from 18% in 2023 to 60% in 2027, the market demand for 3D printing titanium alloy hinge equipment in China is expected to increase from 100 million yuan in 2023 to 1.2 billion yuan in 2027, and the corresponding global demand for 3D printing equipment is expected to increase from 300 million yuan to 3.7 billion yuan.
2) Smart watch case demand: Assuming that Apple's high-end watch will use 3D printed titanium alloy cases in the future, it is expected that the penetration rate of titanium alloy in Apple Watch will increase from 10% in 2024 to 35% in 2027, and the market space for parts of 3D printed watch cases is expected to increase from 8800 million yuan to 35 in 20276.7 billion yuan;The demand for 3D printing equipment is expected to increase from 196 units in 2024 to 793 units in 2027, and the equipment market space will increase from 400 million yuan in 2024 to 15 units in 20278.5 billion yuan.
The cost of equipment depreciation + raw materials in the 3D printing link of a single watch case is about 368 yuan, there is still room for cost reduction in the future. Taking BLT's metal 3D printing customized products as an example, manufacturing expenses account for about 60% of the cost in its production cost, more than 20% is the cost of raw materials, and the rest is direct labor. Among them, the manufacturing expenses are mainly the depreciation expenses of production equipment, the outsourcing processing costs of non-core production links and the costs of inert gas used in the production processDirect materials mainly include metal and non-metal powders, electronic and electrical components, lasers, sheet metal parts, etc. Taking the 3D printing cost of a watch case as an example, we estimate that the printing cost of a single case is about 368 yuan, cost reduction is expected to start from the path of raw materials, gas consumption, equipment depreciation and other paths.
Pictured: The latest 49mm Apple Watch Ultra comes in a titanium case.