JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #118 - January/February 2018 - 32

SPORTS AND LEISURE
3D printing

Additive manufacturing applications
in sporting goods production

roSS JoneS,
Applications Engineer,
Composites Solutions
Stratasys Ltd.

n recent years, 3D printing has been
highly publicized as a revolutionary
new technology that promises to
change the world. Although 3D printing
may change the world, it is not nearly
as new as it may seem. The 3D printing
industry began in the late 1980's with
the invention of Stereolithography
(SLA) and FDM® (Fused Deposition
Modeling) technologies. The industry
has since evolved to include a number
of other technologies such as Laser
Sintering, PolyJet™, Multi-jet fusion,
and many others. Regardless of the
technology, 3D printing is based on the
idea of manufacturing parts through
the buildup of material, layer by layer,
in an automated manner.

Focus
FDM (fused deposition modelling) is an additive
manufacturing technology that uses a liquefier
mounted to a gantry system to precisely place
molten thermoplastic materials layer by layer
in a highly controlled automated process.

Fig. 1: Prototype bike frame (printed using
Stratasys FDM technology) used to test design
intent and functionality (photo courtesy of
Santa Cruz Bicycles)

Athletes and manufacturers in competitive sports continually strive
to innovate through the adoption of new technologies, materials and
customized equipment. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing/3D printing are enabling designers and manufacturers to accelerate their design cycle and allow economical production of customized
sporting goods.
A go-to technology
Over the last 20 years, 3D printing
has become the go-to technology for
designers and manufacturers to rapidly
produce prototypes.
Figure 1 shows an example of a 3D
printed full-scale bike frame. This
prototype allows designers to evaluate
form, fit, and function while also allowing manufacturing engineers to develop
assembly and manufacturing processes.
3D printing, since its inception, has
enabled more rapid and economical
production of prototypes, which accelerates the design cycle and brings
products to market faster.
The attributes that make 3D printing a
great technology for prototyping (rapid
response to demand, nearly infinite design freedom, and a highly automated
workflow) make it a desirable process
for production manufacturing. The
transition from prototyping to manufacturing and functional parts is where
the terminology typically changes from
3D printing to additive manufacturing.
Until recently, the applications and
markets that have been able to leverage
additive manufacturing in the production environment have been limited
by material capabilities. However, the
release of higher performance materials
for Stratasys' FDM technology enables
more manufacturers to utilize additive
manufacturing for mold tooling,
jigs, fixtures, end effectors and even

jec composites magazine / N°118 January - February 2018

low-volume part production.
Specifically, the release of ULTEM™
1010 resin and carbon fiber-filled Nylon
(FDM Nylon 12CF™, the first commercial FDM composite material), enables
use in more demanding manufacturing
applications. The thermal stability of
ULTEM 1010 resin allows composite
part manufacturers to rapidly produce
high temperature (180 °C), high pressure (7+ bar) mold tooling and Nylon
12CF lets manufacturers produce more
rigid and durable manufacturing aids
(e.g., jigs, fixtures and end effectors), as
well as complex custom parts.
As elite athletes continually strive to
improve through the adoption of new
training methods, high-performance
composite materials and customized
equipment, manufacturing methods
must also evolve. Additive manufacturing is that next evolution in manufacturing. Below are just two examples where
additive manufacturing empowers cost
effective customization in the sporting
goods industry.
Utah Trikes
Utah Trikes is a specialty recumbent
trike shop based in Payson, Utah.
Through the use of additive manufacturing, they have built their business
on offering customization to the trike
market. Utah Trikes utilizes Stratasys'
FDM Nylon 12CF in nearly every facet

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #118 - January/February 2018