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Apple's hold on metal chassis supply chain hinders competition

by Steven Sande Aug 4th 2011 at 5:30PM

Apple's wild success with unibody construction for all models of the MacBook appears to be having a negative effect on the competition in more than just reduced sales -- the other vendors can't get their hands on the CNC (computer numerical control) lathes that are required to make ultra thin magnesium-aluminum shells to encase the electronics of Intel's UltraBook design guideline.

According to Taiwan-based electronics industry site Digitimes, Catcher Technology and Foxconn Technology both have more than 10,000 of the expensive CNC lathes used to make notebook chassis. These two companies are major suppliers to Apple, which means that companies wishing to make metal UltraBooks have to compete for capacity on those lathes. That's a hindrance to high-capacity production, so many manufacturers are choosing a different material.

For the competition, it looks like RHCM (rapid heating cycle molding) based fiberglass is the solution. The fiberglass is mixed with plastic to create a material that is both tough, moldable, and lightweight, and the material is also about US$20 cheaper per laptop than the more expensive metal. While that doesn't sound like much of a cost reduction for manufacturers, it boils down to an end-market price that can be as much as $100 cheaper.

The main beneficiary of the competition's move to the RHCM plastic-fiberglass composite is Taiwan-based Mitac Precision, which apparently has the yield and production capacity to keep the UltraBooks flowing.



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Apple's wild success with unibody construction for all models of the MacBook appears to be having a negative effect on the competition...
 

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Eideard

Not bad. 1 comment spam - you don't have software like Akismet that catches crap like that? 2 folks who actually know something about the tech involved.

As for vendors getting their hands on appropriate CNC machinery to produce these forms - biggies like FoxConn get all they need as does anyone else with the bucks. Smaller outfits don't buy these critters - they sub out the job to contractors who own capital goods like this.

August 05 2011 at 12:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kevin Carlson

I'm going to go out on a limb here since I'm a CNC machinist, and say that these were made on 5-Axis CNC Mills, not Lathes. I could be wrong, but I don't see anyway to make the unibody design on a lathe.

August 04 2011 at 9:51 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Kevin Carlson's comment
theappledr

Kevin, I think you're right!! When Apple released the UniBody MacBook Pro in Machined Aluminum, in the video they showed the mill cutting out the keyboard holes and it was coming down from above(vertically). The difference, I believe, is that with the Mils, the item is stationary and the cutters move around it. On a Lathe, the cutters are stationary and the item is turning along a fixed center point. Right??

August 05 2011 at 3:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Long

Anyone know if the iPad 2 case is CNC milled? That could be another drain on supply.

Besides, I'm not too sure that a fiberglass/plastic cased "Ultrabook" is going to be very competitive against the fine fit and finish of the aluminum unibody MacBook Airs. If people wanted small cheap plastic notebooks, they'd be buying netbooks...

And they're not.

August 04 2011 at 7:30 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
TS

Much better that all those resources are put to use producing more Macs for the world, rather than inferior pretenders.

August 04 2011 at 6:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Colin Chapman

Well that's one way (besides rediculous patents) to prohibit the competition from stealing ideas.

August 04 2011 at 6:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JR

I think it's "mill", not lathe. A "lathe" is a CNC controlled (or manual) machine that turns bar stock to machine round cylinderically shaped parts. Think of machined screws, or engine valves, or metal chess pieces, that sort of thing. A CNC "mill" is what machines flat parts like the chassis of the laptop. Sorry to be a stickler on that, used to work for manufacturing.

August 04 2011 at 6:07 PM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
Daniel Swanson

Apple hindering competition AGAIN?!!!! Oh, that's soooooo unfair! (boo hoo)

August 04 2011 at 5:58 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
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