Feasibility of New Solid Aluminum Manufacturing Process?

[MacRumors]

Businessweek spoke to some experts about the feasibility of Apple introducing a new manufacturing process and bringing notebook production in-house.

iSuppli analyst Kevin Keller believes that while short term costs would rise, there could be a savings over time:

"If you're working with one single unit of metal, you're reducing a lot of the materials costs and also a lot of labor time on assembly"

If true, the results could "be unlike anything else on the market in appearance and design" with elimination of screws and seams. Still, it's unclear if Apple could overcome the fact that such the process is quite time-intensive, and scale it enough for laptop production.

As well, the possibility of Apple investing in its own factories to assemble notebooks is seen as a very expensive and risky move and there appears to be no current evidence that Apple has embarked on such a project.

. "I'd be shocked if they started doing any of their own assembly," says Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Ore. "That's the kind of drastic step that would hurt profits. I'm just not sure what the advantages would be."

Meanwhile, CNet's Adam Richardson, an industrial designer, dismisses some of the rumors claiming that Apple has been using both laser and waterjet methods for quite sometime. He reports that the process described by 9to5mac as applied to a notebook-sized device would be much more expensive than traditional manufacturing and feels it's "unlikely that it will literally be a hollowed out block of aluminum".

Article Link

 

[Yixian]

Well, wouldn't it being more expensive initially fit with Apple's lower forecast for the next Q?

 

[macbook123]

Hopefully this means cheaper Macbook Pro's arriving at Macworld in January...

I don't believe the October 14 hype.

 

[brad.c]

I wonder what weighs more on our minds: a pound of brick rumours, or a pound of broken dreams. I'm pulling the trigger on whatever is available Oct 15.

 

[twoodcc]

well, they do make good points. i guess we'll find out soon

 

[15 noveltybread]

I can't help but keep going back to thought of all the wasted material this process would produce. Hollowing out a block of aluminum? There has got to be 1 to 1 1/2 more cases worth in aluminum being dug out of that chunk that would need melted back down and cast into another block.

I don't know this rumor never made much sense to me.

 

[LanPhantom]

More like the iPod

seamless with all the contents fitted inside the case from the back with a couple of screws holding it in. Just like the ipod nano's. The display would be mounted onto a strong frame support inside this seamless case and when work needs to be done, just remove a couple of screws from the back and the WHOLE motherboard and assembly slides out the rear. This would leave the case and a keyboard assembly as one unit.

I like this idea.

LanPhantom

 

[Le Big Mac]

Well, wouldn't it being more expensive initially fit with Apple's lower forecast for the next Q?

I think that was generally understood to mean that new products would mean having to sell off old ones in the pipeline and that any new product is initially less profitable because of ramp-up costs, not because it's an inherently more expensive manufacturing process.

BTW, if they're using some hollowed out aluminum block, how does one swap hard drives, add memory, or do any repairs?

 

[cube]

BTW, if they're using some hollowed out aluminum block, how does one swap hard drives, add memory, or do any repairs?

How do you get them inside in the first place?

 

[nanvinnie]

Ultem 2300

I would like to see mbp's injection molded from ultem 2300 or something. big expensive tool, cheap, durable, reproducible cases. haha.

 

[Mactagonist]

I can't help but keep going back to thought of all the wasted material this process would produce. Hollowing out a block of aluminum? There has got to be 1 to 1 1/2 more cases worth in aluminum being dug out of that chunk that would need melted back down and cast into another block.

I don't know this rumor never made much sense to me.

Do you think they would throw that out? Why?

Aluminum has a very low melting point, all scraps could be collected and melted into new blocks to use again at a very low cost in energy.

 

[Cleve]

Made in the USA

I like the idea of it being produced in the USA
http://blogs.computerworld.com/apple_brick_is_a_manufacturing_process

 

[sleepingworker]

Does anyone on this thread know of other tech or commercial products that are made with this "brick" method?

 

[derryquinn]

How do you get them inside in the first place?

The. Processor, ram and everything else is all carved by the lasers and jets! Now that'd be revoltionary!

 

[ChrisA]

No one would machine a case out of a solid block. What you'd do is use a hydrauli press to form a block of metal into the basic shape. Aluminum flows like putty given enough presure. Then you follow up with the lasers and water for some of the detaails.

Ever seen how they make a soda can? They put a littel ound pellet in a can shaped hole and hit it with a ram the metal flows up and around the ram, just like it was water. It takes just a fraction of a second. If you can turn a pellet into a can you can turn a slab into a case

 

[Low]

just bought a 2.4 mbp a couple of months ago...i dont mind buying another if it looks even more sleek....

 

[Battlefield Fan]

I am willing to bet the reason why apple said it's profits will be down at the last earnings report is because apple is making their own factory

 

[15 noveltybread]

Do you think they would throw that out? Why?

Aluminum has a very low melting point, all scraps could be collected and melted into new blocks to use again at a very low cost in energy.

No I don't think they would throw it out. Thats why I said "....would need melted back down and cast into another block."

How would machining out a block and re-melting the scraps into a new block use less energy than a simple die pressed case? It's way less waste and much faster.

 

[ilfn143]

No one would machine a case out of a solid block. What you'd do is use a hydrauli press to form a block of metal into the basic shape. Aluminum flows like putty given enough presure. Then you follow up with the lasers and water for some of the detaails.

Ever seen how they make a soda can? They put a littel ound pellet in a can shaped hole and hit it with a ram the metal flows up and around the ram, just like it was water. It takes just a fraction of a second. If you can turn a pellet into a can you can turn a slab into a case

this make sense

 

[elmateo487]

He reports that the process described by 9to5mac as applied to a notebook-sized device would be much more expensive than traditional manufacturing and feels it's "unlikely that it will literally be a hollowed out block of aluminum".

[url=https://www.macrumors.com/2008/10/07/feasibility-of-new-solid-aluminum-manufacturing-process/]Article Link

Hollowing out a block of aluminum?

K buddy. Thats why they said. it is unlikely that it will literally be a hollowed out block of aluminum. To the "rumorists" themselves, that didn't even make sense!

(p.s. i know thats not a real word. Haha)

 

[mikespit1]

Every hour that goes by without confirmation of a press invite for the 14th, I die a little inside =(

 

[jdmlight]

How do you get them inside in the first place?

Oh, it'll be just as much fun as opening an iPod Video...

I'd be angry if Apple did this because I always upgrade parts of my computers to extend their life (esp. RAM). This would make it so much harder to open the cases (not that it'd stop me from doing it ).

 

[gifford]

No one would machine a case out of a solid block. What you'd do is use a hydrauli press to form a block of metal into the basic shape. Aluminum flows like putty given enough presure. Then you follow up with the lasers and water for some of the detaails.

Ever seen how they make a soda can? They put a littel ound pellet in a can shaped hole and hit it with a ram the metal flows up and around the ram, just like it was water. It takes just a fraction of a second. If you can turn a pellet into a can you can turn a slab into a case

I never realized soda cans could be so interesting.

 

[Ping Guo]

Wasn't this already discussed

here?

 

[happydude]

seamless with all the contents fitted inside the case from the back with a couple of screws holding it in. Just like the ipod nano's. The display would be mounted onto a strong frame support inside this seamless case and when work needs to be done, just remove a couple of screws from the back and the WHOLE motherboard and assembly slides out the rear. This would leave the case and a keyboard assembly as one unit.

I like this idea.

LanPhantom

good point, i think both ipods and iphones would fit this process