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Rapid Manufacturing; What RP will be when it grows up... (C) Copyright Castle Island Co., All Rights Reserved.
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SportsThe applications of rapid manufacturing in sports are greatly analogous to those in medicine, but happily more cheerful. Just as the success of RM in medicine relates to the uniqueness of each human body, so does the equipment used in competitive sport, especially at the highest levels. The number of possible applications is a lengthy one. A sampling includes helmets, protective and other wearable accessories, footwear, bats, clubs, rackets, grips, dive fins and face masks for scuba, recoil pads, sighting ribs and other custom gun components - to name but a few.RM items are just beginning to be appear in competition. TNO (Netherlands) has prepared customized archery handles, and in conjunction with DSM NV (Netherlands), a special heat-reflective helmet for a Dutch sculler who competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The helmet was designed to reflect sunlight without restricting airflow for optimal heat exchange, and was made from nylon using selective laser sintering. In addition to these obvious athlete-specific areas, rapid manufacturing has the ability to fabricate advanced materials and parts. As in other fields such as transportation, the prospect is for this to lead to wide-ranging performance enhancements for all users. Additive fabrication of golf club heads is one of the first applications to be described. It can be expected that elite athletes will enjoy the fruits of the technology first. But, once the sports publicity machinery starts to grind, it won't be long before demand is created within the amateur community. Average athletes might not actually obtain an edge - but many golf clubs will be sold.
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From Here...
RP Technology, Brief Tutorial.
RP's Frequently Asked Questions.
