3D printing has been used to make the extreme sport of windsurfing a bit more extreme in the lead up to a land vs. sea challenge this week. As five kite-surfers cross the Bristol Channel, competing against opponents racing to the same destination in a Japanese hybrid car, one person will be surfing on 3D printed parts.
As a part of the world’s first extreme sports engineering design course at the University of Wales, TSD Swansea, a team of designers was challenged to reconceptualize a kitesurfing board to beat out the University’s hybrid Honda Civic in a race across the Bristol Channel. The team, in conjunction with local Stratasys reseller Laser Lines, used two Stratasys Fortus 250mc 3D Production Systems to fabricate custom board fins with unique sizes, shapes, and angles to reduce the boards’ overall weight. The fins were then wrapped in carbon fiber for stiffness, while maintaining their lightweight and increasing the surfers’ speed. Along with the fins, the team 3D printed inserts for attaching straps to the board.…
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