There was a time when Samsung’s devices looked and felt pretty similar to each previous device the year before, this was more or less the case for even the Galaxy S5, Samsung’s flagship device in the Galaxy S lineup from 2014. While there have been some visual differences here and there between each device starting from the Galaxy S forward, most have been minor design changes that didn’t look too different from the previous year. Samsung had a similar manufacturing process for all of these devices because they all used similar materials.
This year, Samsung has done something completely different when it comes to building the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. They have used a combinations of Glass and metal, along with an enclosed body, so naturally Samsung had a very different manufacturing process for these two phones, and they describe the details of how both devices were made, what makes the process different, and in utilizing these different materials Samsung highlights how they have listened to consumers requests and criticisms to create something truly Samsung yet unique from anything they have ever offered before. A different device yet the same phone consumers know and love at the core, starts with the new materials and the new manufacturing process.
This process begins with what Samsung is referring to as 3D thermoforming, a process they used to heat the glass of the display up to 800 degrees Celsius which is where they needed it to be temperature wise before they could form it. The glass is first placed in between a top and bottom mold fitting the shape of the curve we see on the finished product, heated, and then finally pressed to reach the shape that we saw this morning. After this process Samsung states they use precise machinery to avoid even the smallest of errors in the glass forming process, which Samsung states includes a total of 15 “intricate”steps that achieve the finished product.
The glass is not the only part of the process that is new though, and Samsung states they paid just as much attention to the metal as they did with the glass forming process. A result which comes forward and is suggested by their claim that the metal in both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S Edge is 50% stronger than the metal in other devices, which is usually 6063 aluminum according to Samsung. For the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Samsung used high strength 6013 aluminum to give it a tougher exterior, which they state required more than 20 intricate steps to get to the finished state. This includes welding the antenna with ultrasound to the metal frame itself to achieve a higher quality performance in the signal area of the device. Samsung details these processes visually with the two diagrams we have posted below.
