In the context of Epic Music, Apple’s senior vice president of design, Jonathan Ive, ended his introduction to the Apple Watch with these words in a video on Apple’s website.
Screenshot of the 316L stainless steel video used in Apple Inc’s Apple Watch…but of course it can’t be embedded on their website, so you have to watch it on their website.www.apple.com
Released to coincide with Apple CEO Tim Cook’s presentation of the Apple Watch in March, a series of videos highlighted the Watch’s “game-changing” (as they were seen), but of course we’re interested in, Those that highlight the aluminum and stainless steel used in the construction of the gadget.
Not only is it sturdy and shiny, but it’s incredibly hard—just like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iron-sweetened salad days.
So how is 316L different from vanilla 316 series stainless steel?Helicopter 316 is an austenitic chromium-nickel combination containing molybdenum, and for corrosion resistance, 316L has a lower carbon content, which helps the metal post-weld while maintaining corrosion resistance.(The main difference between 316 and 304 is that 316 can handle higher temperatures better.)
Type 316L is an ultra-low carbon version of Type 316 that minimizes harmful carbide precipitation due to welding.(Editor’s note: Specifically, 316 has a composition with a maximum carbon content of 0.08%, while 316L has a maximum carbon content of 0.03%.)
Typical uses include exhaust manifolds, furnace components, heat exchangers, jet engine components, pharmaceutical and photographic equipment, valve and pump trims, chemical equipment, digesters, tanks, evaporators, pulp, paper and textile processing equipment, exposure Components for marine atmospheres and pipelines.
Type 316L is widely used in weldments and its immunity to welding-induced carbide precipitation ensures optimum corrosion resistance.
As Ive lays out in the video, Apple’s planned obsolescence is getting tougher — or at least the materials for its latest products have been.
Apple takes 316L stainless steel and then customizes it through a “series of alloying and machining steps” to make its case stronger and cold-forged.Impurities are minimized and hardness is guaranteed.The forgings are then milled in a “12-station multi-pass milling machine” to achieve “high-precision uniformity throughout the housing”.It is then expertly “polished to a mirror finish”.
The Milanese strap loops are woven from fine steel rings to create a “flowing mesh” with a fabric-like feel, while the link bracelet is made up of approximately 140 individual parts.
All of this won’t help when you’re lost or stolen in a cab, but it certainly does its best to justify the $549 base price!
According to our in-house stainless steel expert Katie Benchina Olsen, sweat is salty, so it makes sense to use a chloride-resistant stainless steel.”My husband Jeff (who’s not a stainless steel expert) says the stainless steel Apple Watch will protect it from even the sweatiest of wearers,” she said.Another reason for the 316L might be that it resists pitting better if you’re going to top it with ketchup or other sauces.
According to Olson, the factory actually produces the 316/316L, which means it’s dual-certified; in other words, the 316L is 316 certified because it also meets the 316 standard.
Our MetalMiner IndX℠ offers over 25 price points for 316/316L and related surcharges, including:
Maybe Apple’s suppliers have looked at our IndX℠, the world’s largest database of stainless steel surcharges… do you have one?
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