Apple is researching the use of processed titanium with unique properties for future MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, according to a newly-granted patent application.
In a filing titled “Titanium parts having a blasted surface texture,” granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and spotted by Patently Apple, Apple explains how various devices could adopt titanium casings with a distinctive textured finish.
The patent explains that anodized aluminum, used on current MacBooks and iPads, is not as hard or durable as titanium. However, the hardness of titanium makes it “very difficult to etch,” meaning that it can be “aesthetically unattractive.” The patent seeks to present a solution to this problem by outlining a blasting, etching, and chemical process to give a titanium enclosure a more attractive appearance.
Apple describes the textured surface as including “peaks separated by valleys,” with specific micrometer measurements and gloss units. The process involves various techniques to impart “the blasted and etched titanium part with a fine-scale roughness,” which allows it to retain “a high-gloss surface finish.”
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