Customization of sport accessories/equipment through
additive manufacturing
Brief Summary:
Additive manufacturing (AM) also commonly known as 3D printing, rapid
prototyping or direct manufacturing is a technology which utilizes layer
manufacturing and has the ability to remove many of the geometric constraints
imposed by traditional manufacturing process.
Customization of sport accessories/equipment through
additive manufacturing
Problem: Professional athletes have started using dedicated 3D printed custom-fit
accessories/equipment designed to improve their performance. An open question is
how this customization service can be also extended to sportslovers and amateurs
of any age. Hence, leveraging on the customization possibilities offered by additive
manufacturing technologies, this research aims at promoting new sporty habits and
personalised training programs through 3D printed, custom-fitted and interactive
solutions.
A design approach will be developed to customize and 3D print
accessories/equipment with sensors/actuators embedded. Testing campaigns will be
performed to assess the characteristics of the 3D printed object with respect to
users training needs and anthropometric data. 1 / 3 The candidate will collaborate
with researchers developing their projects in the following two laboratories: E4Sport
- Engineering for Sport Laboratory; [Link] Additive Manufacturing Laboratory
Educational objectives Working within a multi-disciplinary team, involving also
human and body science experts, the candidate will acquire professional maturity
on: tools/methods for designing/testing; 3D printing technologies/materials and
design strategies; technologies for interaction design.
Additive manufacturing (AM) enables faster prototype development for design visualisation,
performance studies and personalisation in the sports footwear industry. Among the available AM
techniques, stereolithography (SLA), PolyJet (PJ), selective laser sintering (SLS) and three-dimensional
printing (3DP) have been used for sports footwear prototyping. A five-point scoring system was used
to rate the performance of AM techniques in four important characteristics namely accuracy,
surface finish, range of materials supported and building time. Key elements of AM-based footwear
personalisation and customisation methodology were also discussed.
References
Application of additive manufacturing techniques in sports
footwear
DOI:
10.1080/17452759.2013.862958
ab
Vivek Manoharan
, Siaw Meng Chou
b*
, Steph Forrester , Gin Boay Chai & Pui Wah Kong
pages 249-252
3d printing advantages
Automated, toolless and patternless manufacturing only need the CAD files and
the appropriate AM machine. Directly produce functional parts in desired
quantities. Parts can be produce in a relatively short time. Part complexity
increases with little significant effects on lead time and cost. Sculptured and
optimized shapes for functional or aesthetic reasons can be incorporated and
customized. Reduce parts count by combining features and lowering assembly
costs. Minimizing waste materials and processes. Improved functionality with
feature-based or functionally-graded attributes. Reduce inventories print on
demand
Problems CHALLENGES OF 3D PRINTING IN MANUFACTURING Page 21 Cost of parts
Poor surface finish Inconsistent part quality Limited range of materials Lack of
knowledge/ experience in industry Fragmented supply chains based on prototyping
Potential solutions
Machines with higher build rate Low cost machines Better design suitable for
3D Printing Optimised build strategies Improved post-processing methods Inprocess monitoring Post process quality assurance techniques Development of
3D Printing specific standards Validated material properties New materials
development Improve education and skills pipeline Develop robust supply chains
orientated towards production
Sports equipment has always had a pretty close relationship with advanced technology
3d printing cycling
Frame, accessories, footwear
talian design studio Eurocompositi is trying to change the way that we make our bicycles by
changing the materials that we use to make them. Rather than a standard machined metal
frame, Eurocompositi has designed a functional proof-of-concept 3D printed mountain bike
frame called Bhulk. As part of the Aenimal project, the Bhulk bike frame is the first ecological
and environmentally sustainable bike. It was printed using biodegradable, recycled and
recyclable PLA 3D printing material.
3D printing material derived from renewable, plant-based materials, the Bhulk frame can either
be melted down and turned into new 3D printed objects, or simply ground up and composted.
And to make it even greener, it takes significantly less energy to 3D print a frame than it would
to create a metal bike frame using traditional tooling methods, and it even takes less power
than if it was 3D printed using ABS or PET materials. On top of all of that, Eurocompositis
Aenimal production facility is also solar-powered. Theyre probably just showing off at this
point, but that makes the Bhulk one of the greenest vehicles ever manufactured.
Research was undertaken to explore a process that delivers insoles for personalised footwear to the
high street using additive manufacturing (AM) and to evaluate such insoles in terms of discomfort
and lower extremity biomechanics. During the development of the process, five elements were
identified: foot capture, anthropometric measurements, insole design, manufacture of the parts and
physical biomechanical evaluation. In order to evaluate the process, recreational runners were
recruited. They had 15 anthropometric measurements of the foot taken and both feet scanned.
Scan data enabled personalised insoles to be designed and manufactured. Participants were fitted
with footwear under two conditions: personalised and control insoles. Both conditions were
evaluated in terms of discomfort ratings and biomechanics. The main advantage of the process is
that it is possible to design footwear based on the foot scans, without the need to construct a last
and mould for every consumer. In fact, statistical analysis indicated no significant differences
between the two conditions for discomfort ratings and only one biomechanical parameter, midfoot
peak mean pressure, was found to be significantly higher for the personalised condition for a short
period of usage. The results suggest that producing comfortable personalised insoles using AM
technique shows potential.
From golf clubs to football helmets, from soccer cleats to cricket bats, you can print any prototype in
3D to meet unique specifications
Scan any object (for example, a helmet) and enhance certain features or add new elements to
customize your design or improve on previous designs
Create a database of virtual products that are easily organized, accessible and ready to edit
Before executing live tests, perform Non-Destructive Tests virtually on industry leading
software before production and printing
Proto3000 offers you cost and time effective solutions to help you with all aspects of your
product development lifecycle
3D Engineering has helped Olympic athletes on many occasions as well! Reverse engineering
equipment to create a perfectly fitting model has been documented
in kayaking,
athletics, cycling and many many more sports!
