Introduction
Have you ever seen the airless basketball? Pretty weird right? Would you believe if I said that it was 3D printed? Well, it's true. Wilson has designed these balls in attempt to make manufacturing basketballs more sustainable, as traditionally they are made with many materials. Now, whether we see the NBA shooting airless basketballs is a separate matter, and in my opinion, it won't happen for a long time because these athletes are used to a normal basketball already. However, we are now seeing an increase of 3D printing manufacturing when it comes to sports.
Straight Facts
I'm a facts person, so lets just get right into where and how 3D printing is being used today in sports. The Paris Olympics (which just finished a couple months back) started to incorporate 3D printing in a significant way, both the organization and the athletes themselves. On a larger scale, Paris went all in on 3D printing when it came to preparing for hosting the major event. For starters, they 3D printed a 40 meter bridge! They 3D printed concrete, which managed to save 60% on concrete material. They also 3D printed a whole autonomous ferry, which transported athletes and players to different venues for the events. Measuring 9 x 3.9 meters, the ferry's design allows it to automatically dock, moor, and charge wirelessly, eliminating the need for manual intervention. Lastly, skateboarding was introduced as an Olympic sport this year so a skatepark had to be built. How did Paris build this you ask? Well, if they could build a bridge and a boat, you best believe they printed a skatepark as well.
Customization Is The Future
Now, that all sounds fascinating, but if you want to try and make some money in this space, we should be focusing on the athletes needs, as this is an area easier to capitalize on. Customization is where 3D printing really shines, as you can really print whatever you design on a software. Sports, especially at the professional level are starting to look at fully customizing their athletes with the best gear, in hopes to give them a better edge. We can start to see this in the NHL, where Bauer "A hockey equipment manufacturing company" has started custom making helmets for certain athletes. They found that hockey players did not like wearing new helmets as they're unfamiliar, so Bauer is working with these athletes directly to find what their needs are, their preferences are, etc to create their perfect helmet. Golf and extreme sports like BMX are also areas of interest, and they are very much gear orientated sports. Cyclists will custom print handle bars, brake caps, or anything they feel would add as an upgrade to their bike. Likewise with golfers, who are obsessed with doing everything they can to get a better swing, to the point that some people have 3D printed a whole golf club just so it could be tailored to their optimum height and with optimum weight distribution.
A Foot Fetish
I want to touch on custom orthotics because it is a huge industry that could be really beneficial for the sports industry. At the moment, custom orthotics are manufactured mainly for healthcare, whether its treating flat feet, diabetes, etc. However, having custom insoles that cater to the needs of an athlete could show huge benefits in their performance. Nike already did this at the Paris Olympics, giving 13 customized shoes to certain athletes on Team USA. Not to mention, you could even insert sensors into these insoles, giving more data to the athletes or even patients for that matter; I mean, who doesn't want more data? Medairum is leading the way with this in Singapore, as they are making custom orthotics in the healthcare world but it won't be long till they start catering to athletes on any level. The people who get into this space early and normalize it (And I do believe it will in the future), they are the people that will benefit the most in this industry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the integration of 3D printing into sports is already proving to be transformative, from large-scale applications like those showcased at the Paris Olympics to highly personalized athletic gear that boosts performance. One of the most promising areas is custom orthotics, which can significantly enhance athletic performance by providing tailored support and improved comfort. With innovations such as sensor-embedded insoles that offer real-time data, athletes can gain deeper insights into their metrics and optimize their training and recovery.
If you’re interested in exploring how 3D-printed orthotics or other customized solutions can enhance your sports performance or equipment, reach out to us today! Let’s discuss how we can bring these advancements to your team or organization and keep you ahead in this rapidly evolving field.
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