A few years ago when I started my career in Additive manufacturing (3D printing as you know it), my inclination was to do some thing professionally effective with my mechanical engineering degree. In the past few years, I have come to realise that 3D printing has the potential to disrupt every industry. Today, I am going to talk about my odyssey with AM in Sport and Leisure industry.

3D printing is a manufacturing technology. You can manufacture things like shoes, hairpin, eye wear etc. The reason 3D printing is so much talked about in industry circles today is because, it has brought the power of manufacturing closer to the user. It is fast & simple. If you have a 3D CAD design, you simply have to print it. It is that simple. You do not need a degree for it, let alone a Mechanical degree. Secondly, it allows making things on-demand. Imagine you forgot to keep the spanner in your car and you need to use one on your journey. No issues. You open the trunk, use the battery powered 3D printer and print a spanner on the go. As unfeasible, nonsensical and futuristic it may sound, it would be a common thing in years to come. As common as a personal computer. Another advantage 3D printing parts on-demand offers is that, it allows you the freedom to change the design every time you fabricate one.

Now, although the above points are good to have features, they will come and go as fad, which actually happened with Amazon.com when it started selling 3D Printing products but eventually shut it down for several reasons. But let me tell you the other side of the story: why AM is still destined for success! As humans, we crave

for products that deliver performance and excellence, and AM designed and manufactured products have higher performance than conventionally designed ones.

Changing the way for Performance Industry
Sports are more than just entertainment. For athletes, it’s about pushing boundaries, breaking records and achieving accolades. With 3D printing, one can achieve light weighted products, having unconventional designs that aid performance. Such design freedom is unprecedented in conventional fabrication techniques. In 3D Printing, one can achieve complex geometries, lattices structures without worrying about its manufacturability.

Nike, Adidas, Underarmour, New Balance have all launched micro lattice structured soles that have better shock absorbance capacity than any other similar product seen in the market. They further spice up the offering by creating experience around customisation of each sole. No “ONE-DESIGN-FIT-FOR-ALL” mantra anymore.

As far as the leisure industry is concerned, Krone Golf has teamed up with CRP Group, an Italian industrial group and racing specialist, to develop a set of high-performance 3D printed golf clubs. The KD-1 drivers, made from Windform SP carbon composite, utilize both additive and subtractive manufacturing.

Austrian startup Zweikampf’s produces 3D printed football shin guards. The company was launched as a Kick starter campaign for their innovative product. Their product consists of a three layered design to maximize both impact deflection and comfort. The top layer, the hard shell, is 3D printed and incorporates a signature “Y” structure, which was inspired by the honey comb structure of Japanese Samurai armour, and helps to distribute shock and impacts.

Nike has been experimenting with 3D printing for the past few years and has developed several items utilizing this versatile technology. In 2014, they developed a pair of cleats called the Nike Vapor HyperAgility Cleat. The cleats were specially created to increase athletic agility during targeted football drills. Nike also created a pair of shin guards called the Mercurial FlyLite Guard (for sale on nike.com) and a limited edition duffel bag with a 3D printed bottom presented to select 2014 FIFA World Cup players.

It is clear that the technology is not limited to fortune 500 companies or academia. It will change the way the performance industry works. And for the very same reason, Aerospace and automotive are the biggest adopters of this technology. It will be illogical to say 3D printing will replace traditional manufacturing, but at least in the sports industry where the competition is fierce, people will pay anything for customisation and performance. After all, we all want to win our own game, don’t we?