Ride the Waves with a 3D Printed Surfboard

Additive manufacturing (AM) has made an impact on nearly every sort of industry. The freedom offered by the technology brings out the creative impulse in people, driving them to seek out new ways to design classic products. Along with changes to the aerospace and medical industries, AM has been embraced by the sports world to improve performance or as a means of updating old products with modern materials.

Earlier this year we discovered AM-built snowboards, and before that it was specialty equipment for the Paralympics. Now we find surfboard manufacturer, Made. The company has taken a fresh look at the construction of surfboards, using AM and Piezo electronics to build lighter, more reactive boards. 

Part of what drew Shannon Marks, founder of Made, to AM was the potential for customization offered by the technology. Made has designed its Smartboards around the idea that a custom board will not only work better for a rider, it’ll be better for the environment.

“Currently the gear you buy isn't made for you. It's designed by average — an average of body types and sizes, constructed using toxic chemicals and made in low-wage paying overseas factories, costing you and costing our environment.”

While Made might know surfing, the company needed some help with designing for AM, and turned to RedEye On Demand, a subsidiary of Stratasys. According to Marks, the RedEye team was enormously helpful with the design process, leading to the printing of the first full-sized prototype. The board was built on a Fortus 900 using ABSm-30.

The interior of Made’s Smartboard resembles an airplane wing. This was a conscious design choice, intended to combine stability and durability with a light overall weight. All the extra space inside the board also offered the possibility of adding electronics to the boards to improve performance and provide feedback via an app named VOLUME.

What Made is attempting to do with its Smartboards essentially amounts to rebooting an entire industry. Even assuming riders are willing to give the new boards a try, the company needs enough startup capital to really get the idea off the ground. Made is attempting to raise the money through Kickstarter. Assuming the project gets funded, it’ll cost you $799 for a Smartboard.

Even if Made fails with its Kickstarter, I tend to think some company or group of investors might be willing to pitch in to give the company a chance. Getting in on the ground floor of innovation can be worth the risk.

Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video for Made.

Sources: Made, Kickstarter