3D Printing Steps into the Future of Sports

When athletes laced up for the Paris Olympics, Nike gave 13 members of team USA custom sneakers. The goal was to help the athletes compete across track, soccer, basketball, and tennis. Nike leveraged AI for design in tandem with 3D printing for customization. The result pointed the way to a new era of personalization in sports equipment.

Jon Walker, a key account manager at EOS – an industrial 3DP company – helped design the Wilson airless basketball and Bauer's custom MyBauer REAKT helmet for hockey players. He noted there was plenty of 3D printing on hand at the Olympics. “The Paris Olympics featured great use cases of 3D printing, including the Saint-Gobain 3D printed skatepark and Metron’s 3D printed bike parts,” said Walker. “When it comes to 3D printed sports equipment for Olympians, there are no restrictions in terms of pricing or large-scale production requirements. That allowed for highly specialized and optimized designs.”

According to Walker, the Olympics provided equipment manufacturers the chance to leverage 3D printing to prioritize performance over the demands of retail products. “At the Olympics, the equipment only has to endure a limited number of uses. For retail products, equipment manufacturers have to focus on longevity,” said Walker.

Related:Wilson Releases Its Long-Expected 3D Printed Basketball

The Bauer Hockey REAKT Hockey Helmet

3D printing technologies are changing the nature of hockey helmets for the first time in decades. Bauer Hockey, a producer of hockey equipment, collaborated with EOS to incorporate additive manufacturing into Bauer’s MyBauer custom equipment program. “Believe it or not, NHL players often avoid newly built, modern helmets due to their hesitancy to change. That can be driven by factors such as different fits, fluctuating weight, or aesthetic preferences,” said Walker. “By leveraging 3D printing, Bauer was able to take their most popular helmet shell in the NHL and update the padding without altering the shell design.”

Image courtesy of EOS.

In the past, changes in padding would require a new shell, but the new technology allowed Bauer to create a better fitting, more breathable helmet without losing athletes who may be cautious to change their look. “Additional benefits of this technology for the Bauer helmet include customization and no new tooling, which allows athletes of all different head shapes/sizes to create custom-made helmets for improved comfort and personalized fit,” said Walker.

A revolution in sports equipment

A number of sports are beginning to adopt 3D printing to improve equipment. Additive manufacturing can quickly turn unique design ideas into prototypes. “For the sports industry, prototyping continues to be the most valuable application of 3D printing,” said Walker. “Using additive manufacturing, sports equipment companies can ideate new applications, creating it in CAD and testing it the next day, which significantly accelerates development cycles for testing and continued innovation.”

EOS was also involved in the development and production of Wilson’s airless 3D printed basketball. The creation of Wilson’s basketball is an example of how prototyping can expedite the product creation process. “During the development phase, EOS was building the ball, DyeMansion was smoothing it, and Wilson was then physically testing the 3D printed ball design against an NBA ball spec every one to two days,” said Walker. “By streamlining the production process, 3D printing enabled the development of sports products that better fit and enhance an athlete’s overall performance.”

Image courtesy of EOS.

The trade-offs of 3D printing

3D printing has faced a number of challenges in developing sports equipment. Regulation and approvals can be a challenge in validating that equipment is not “too good”  and thus considered cheating. Yet in areas not guarded by approvals, 3D printing is beginning to shine. Technology excels in customization and rapid adaptation to consumer needs compared to traditional manufacturing. “Internal performance standards set by sports equipment manufacturers and governing bodies such as the United States Golf Association, the Hockey Equipment Certification Council, and the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, continue to act as a hurdle for sports manufacturing,” said Walker. “As sports equipment innovation progresses, governing bodies have put regulations in place to ensure products don’t “cheat” or cross the line of providing an unfair performance advantage. For safety devices, such as the Bauer helmet, they also need to confirm that the equipment meets safety requirements.”

Creating strategies to meet the requirements of sports organizations has become part of the equipment development process. “As 3D printing advances, manufacturers must adapt and learn how to properly test new equipment, which, in some cases, has led to them being over skeptical,” said Walker. “For example, Bauer had to develop a new testing methodology for “snowflakes,” since no two helmets are the exact same. To counteract, Bauer tested each individual helmet size. Both safety and regulatory hurdles are and will continue to be bottlenecks in the innovation process.”

Mass customization is coming to sports

For decades, manufacturers have touted the benefits of creating products tailored to individual consumers. Traditional mass production methods have stymied the dream. 3D printing is beginning to change that. Now manufacturers are asking: Could 3D-printed sports equipment reach everyday athletes within a decade? Wilson and Nike pushing the boundaries of sports gear. “Helmets and golf clubs are the top applications in 3D printed sports equipment and will absolutely reach all high-end consumers within the next decade,” said Walker.

Walker noted that the emphasis on comfort and head safety in helmets validates the premium pricing associated with advanced products. Bauer, for example, has introduced a selective laser sintering helmet in the NHL. Golfers, known for their passion for gear, are seeing similar advancements. Cobra, a golf club and equipment manufacturer, has embraced 3D printing by launching a commercially available direct metal laser solidification 3D printed iron set. “Recently, Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open using 3D printed iron prototypes from start-up Avoda,” said Walker. These innovations are setting the stage for a surge of new ideas, but questions remain about their consumer specificity and market penetration. Will this technology and its benefits appeal to less discerning consumers? The answer is still uncertain.”