Titanium Additive Manufacturing hinge components used in world’s thinnest foldable smartphone
February 25, 2025
OPPO, headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong, China, has announced the global availability of its Find N5 foldable smartphone featuring additively manufactured titanium hinge components. The new Titanium Alloy Flexion Hinge features an additively manufactured titanium alloy casing and wing, helping make the phone the first book-style foldable less than 9 mm thin when folded.
The AM components are believed to have been produced using Xi’an Bright Laser Technologies Co., Ltd (BLT) Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machines. After Additive Manufacturing, the parts undergo CNC machining to meet exacting tolerances.
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Both Find N5’s hinge cover, which protects the internal folding components, and the wing plate connecting the hinge to the folding display are additively manufactured using Grade 5 titanium alloy.
The hinge’s load-bearing parts are made using ultra-high strength steel with a yield strength of 2000 MPa. Although not specified, Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) is widely used across the industry for this type of component.
Using Additive Manufacturing has helped OPPO to create the world’s thinnest book-style foldable smartphone. When closed, the Find N5 is no thicker than a traditional phone, measuring just 8.93 mm thick and weighing just 229g.
With over 700 million users worldwide, OPPO was ranked fourth in global smartphone shipments for 2024, with 60% of its shipments coming from markets outside of mainland China.
