Are you an avid golfer and think you can improve upon your clubs, if only you had the means? In a feature on the Desktop Metal website, the manufacturing company explores how 3D printing transforms how golf clubs can be designed and manufactured.
Desktop Metal has broken down the areas in which 3D printing could improve golf clubs into five categories: design, prototyping, customization, next generation, and cost comparison.
In terms of design and prototyping, the manufacturing company put forward the idea that innovation can happen much more quickly due to an inexpensive process of coming up with and trying out new ideas.
This certainly would help the industry continue its “long history of steady evolution,” says Desktop Metal in the post. Additive manufacturing makes testing weight, shape, and depth easier.
“For the golf club industry, this means manufacturers are no longer tied to generic, inexpensive designs produced in high volume,” explains the feature. “Instead, they can iterate quickly and experiment with novel designs without worrying about the cost of prototyping.”
From Carved Wood to 3D Printed Metal
Not only does 3D printing save “hundreds of thousands of dollars” on the prototyping and development stage, but it also enables designers to control the entire iteration from their desk and see the results of their work in a matter of hours.
Desktop Metal points out that this prototyping speed can mean high-volume club designs are accelerated to market. But, the technology can also provide customization options for players who have specific requirements.
“Golf clubs are an investment for many players—who often maintain and add to a set of clubs throughout their careers,” explains the company. “With 3D printing, unprecedented levels of customization are possible thanks to the elimination of investment in tooling.”
As a result, players can have a club in their hands within minutes of dreaming it up and they will be able to analyze the swing and feel before adjusting it further.
Once this geometry is perfect, the printed club would be available in a few days. Something like this would be much too expensive to do if relying on traditional manufacturing methods.
As a result, Desktop Metal writes that 3D printing could be the next generation of creating golf clubs. We’ve moved from wood to cast steel and now to additive manufactured clubs, which are proving their worth and showing us how geometries that were never possible are now on the table.
“This includes clubs with organic generative design, internal light weighting, and selective mass placement to tune clubs to perform better,” says Desktop Metal.
There aren’t many companies creating 3D printed golf clubs just yet. But, an interesting collection to check out is by Grismont Paris which produces unique, custom-made golf clubs with 3D printing.
For more on 3D printing innovations in sports, check out these stories:
- 3D Printed Surfboards and Other Disrupted Sports
- Athletics 3D Develops Olympic Gold-Winning Rifle with 3D Printing
- 3D Scanning to Make Safer NFL Helmets
Source: Desktop Metal
License: The text of "Desktop Metal Explores Why Next Generation of Golf Clubs Should be 3D Printed" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.