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Recent global events have shifted how consumers think about their health and fitness. As a result, the sporting goods industry is dealing with several new realities. Like other companies, they are enduring delays and unpredictable costs in their supply chains, but they’re also experiencing high demand for sustainability, and many more of their customers are researching and buying products online.
Along with their increased interest in fitness, people are demanding more from their equipment. No longer satisfied with something “off-the-rack,” they are instead buying custom gear that offers better performance and is uniquely fitted for them. Tennis rackets for example, can be fully customized and ordered online. In the golf industry, personalized club fittings are becoming the norm.
Golf club manufacturing history
Golf has been played for many centuries, dating back at least 600 years. For the first several hundred years, golf clubs were made from wood. Around 1750 the first metal heads were produced, and by the 1870s factories began mass-producing iron club heads. Manufacturing continued to evolve with the availability of new methods and new materials, including steel, fiberglass, titanium, and carbon fiber. During that time, the golfer also evolved from making their own clubs at home to having them manufactured with advanced technology that allows them to match nearly every aspect of the club to their game.
3D printing in sports
As consumer demand for customization continues, manufacturers are seeking digital solutions to help them manage a business model that’s changing from mass production and redundant inventory at thousands of stores to on-demand production for an “audience-of-one.” eCommerce can help them manage the onslaught of small orders that come with mass personalization, but companies also need to solve the back-end problem of manufacturing highly customized products.
3D printing is ideal for the design and production of sporting equipment. It offers several important advantages over other manufacturing methods, including:
- Small batch production - better economics for short low volumes and limited runs
- Design innovation - additive manufacturing creates new freedom for product designers
- Speed-to-market – prototypes and final products can take hours or days to design and produce instead of weeks or months
- Customization - a digital workflow facilitates low-cost personalization
3D printing golf clubs
For many years, the golf equipment industry has used 3D printing, primarily as a prototyping tool. That’s beginning to change as manufacturers implement the technology for the production of final products. History was recently made with the launch of the Cobra 3D printed putter. It was the industry’s first 3D printed putter and sold out of its initial, thousand-unit limited run in less than 36 hours. Since then, Cobra has produced other 3D printed golf clubs, including 3D printed irons.
Read more about the Cobra 3D printed putter in the 3D printing golf clubs case study
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Beyond the Cobra 3D printed putter
Additive manufacturing in sports has advanced significantly in the last few years. It’s less expensive, quality has improved, the process is faster and more repeatable, and there is better material choice. This, combined with customer demand, is leading one golf industry executive to predict that by 2025 as many as 10% of all club heads will be 3D printed or incorporate components that utilize 3D printing.
3D printed sports equipment also includes accessories
3D printed drivers and other clubs aren’t the only opportunities. 3D printed golf accessories, including swing aids, ball stencils, divot tools, golf cart brackets, mounts, and organizers, are currently being sold. A 3D printed golf club holder has also been manufactured for prosthetic devices, extending access for those with limb differences.
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3D printing golf clubs - Cobra 3D printed putter marks a first for the golf industry
Cobra has been making golf equipment since the 1970s. They recognized the unique design and performance benefits of additive manufacturing and have been exploring 3D printing golf clubs for many years. The team at Cobra experimented with many solutions but found them limiting and unscalable. Recently they collaborated with Parmatech and utilized HP’s Metal Jet 3D printing technology to optimize their product design and mass produce the industry’s first 3D printed putter.
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Golf technology has advanced significantly in recent years, forcing the sport’s governing bodies, including the PGA, USGA, and R&A to act. They’ve imposed limits on head size, groove design, and other techniques involved in club making. As a result, it has become more difficult for clubmakers to innovate beyond their competition.
For example, the USGA defines a putter as a “club with a loft not exceeding 10 degrees designed primarily for use on the putting green.” It also mandates that the length of the shaft must be at least 18 inches, but unlike woods and irons, there is no restriction on maximum length. There are also restrictions on the club head itself. The height cannot exceed 2.5 inches and the club head must be proportional. The width must be greater than the depth and the width of the face must be at least half the width and two thirds of the club head's depth.
Among many other benefits, Cobra found that metal 3D printing using HP Metal Jet provided them with newfound design freedom. This allows the innovation team at Cobra to think differently about how they design, engineer, and fabricate golf clubs. Most importantly, it allows them to move material to where it's needed to make the club more forgiving and increase its performance while still conforming to the rules of golf’s governing bodies. Learn more about Design for Additive Manufacturing strategies and benefits.
Read the full 3D printing golf club case study to learn how 3D printing golf clubs with HP Metal Jet technology is enabling Cobra to revolutionize golf club manufacturing.
To discover how HP 3D Printing Solutions can help you innovate and transform the way you design and manufacture, contact a sports equipment 3D printing expert.
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Footnotes and disclaimers
- Data courtesy of COBRA Golf, Inc.