[DaveNull]

Profesional product designer breaks down the Apple manufacturing videos about the Apple Watch.

Of note:

Casting is a process that doesn't offer the level of precision Apple needs for the next step and this machining allows them to control the dimensions of the ingot to within 0.01mm.

This level of inspection is, to put it mildly, fastidious beyond where most other companies would go (save Rolex). Immersion ultrasonic inspection is typically reserved for highly stressed medical implants and rotating components inside of aircraft engines; not only does this step take time, it also is typically performed by custom built machines of tremendous expense.

Though I design aluminum parts, I long ago gave up even attempting to craft them to Apple's finishing standards. No company in the world is finishing and anodizing to Apple's level and part of their secret is every perfectly bead blasted Apple surface starts off as a perfectly polished surface. To compete with Apple, one either needs to invest in equipment with prices equivalent to a CNC machine (6 axis robotic arms with custom end actuators - i.e. hands - to hold your parts), or pay staggering sums of money to have an expert hand polish your parts and accept the fact that the best you will ever get is a reject rate of 10%.

Most anodizing racks are general purpose affairs with clips or hooks that both hold the part and make the positive electrical contact. Apple is using custom formed and plastic dipped racks that very (very) densely hold parts. It's yet another detail that anyone in manufacturing is likely to look at and think "Wow, I wish we had the volume/budget to pull that trick off."

I see these videos and I see a process that could only have been created by a team looking to execute on a level far beyond what was necessary or what will be noticed. This isn't a supply chain, it is a ritual Apple is performing to bring themselves up to the standards necessary to compete against companies with centuries of experience.