In the context of Epic Music, Apple SVP of Design Jonathan Ive summed up his introduction to the Apple Watch with these words in a video on Apple’s website.
A series of videos released in March are timed to coincide with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Apple Watch presentation, which talks about the watch’s “game change” (as they see it), but we’re of course interested in the ones that highlight aluminum. and stainless steel used in the construction of the gadget.
Not only is it tough and shiny, it’s incredibly durable – just like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iron pump salad days.
So how is 316L different from Vanilla 316 stainless steel? Straight 316 is an austenitic combination of chromium and nickel with molybdenum, for corrosion resistance 316L has a lower carbon content, which helps the metal to remain corrosion resistant after welding. (The main difference between 316 and 304 is that 316 handles warmer temperatures better.)
Type 316L is an ultra-low carbon version of Type 316 that minimizes harmful carbide emissions during welding. (Editor’s note: 316 technically contains a maximum of 0.08% carbon, while 316L has a maximum of 0.03%).
Typical applications include exhaust manifolds, oven components, heat exchangers, jet engine components, pharmaceutical and photographic equipment, valve and pump internals, chemical equipment, digesters, storage tanks, evaporators, pulp, paper and textile processing equipment, components and pipelines exposed to the marine atmosphere.
Type 316L is widely used in welded construction where it is immune to carbide precipitation from welding, providing optimum corrosion resistance.
As Ive says in the video, Apple’s obsolescence plans have gotten tougher – or at least the material for its latest products has gotten tougher.
Apple takes 316L stainless steel, then tunes it with a “series of alloying and machining” to make the case stronger, and machine it through a cold forging process. Minimum impurities and guaranteed hardness. The forgings are then milled on a “12-station multi-channel milling machine”, which ensures “high-precision uniformity throughout the body”. It is then professionally “polished to a mirror finish”.
The loops of the Milanese strap are woven together with thin steel rings to form a “fluid mesh” that resembles fabric, and the bracelet is made up of approximately 140 individual components.
None of this helps when you lose it in a taxi or get stolen, but it certainly does its best to justify the $549 base price!
According to our in-house stainless steel expert Kathy Benchin Olsen, sweat is salty, so it makes sense to use chloride-resistant stainless steel. “My husband Jeff (not a stainless steel expert) says the stainless steel Apple Watch will keep even the sweatiest wearer out of it,” she says. Another reason to use 316L might be that it resists pitting better if it has ketchup or other sauces on it.
The plant is actually producing 316/316L, which means it is dual certified, according to Olsen; in other words, the 316L is 316 certified because it is also 316 compliant.
Our MetalMiner IndX℠ has 316/316L and related surcharges in over 25 price points including:
Apple suppliers may have taken a look at our IndX℠, the world’s largest database of stainless steel surcharges…have you?
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Post time: Feb-16-2023