One reader recently asked, “Do you see the 3D printed clubs as a whim or the path of the future?” It is a great question about a technology that is already transforming the production of golf equipment.
3D printing in golf clubs is not a futuristic concept we are waiting for – it is already here and has been for a while. Players like Bryson Dechambeau, Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, Kyle Westmorland and Max Homa have set all 3D print clubs in the tournament. So far, Cobra has 3D printed handcuffsServices, wedge and stack. And that’s the things we know. I will bet on good money there are some metalwood prototypes somewhere in the R&D department of COBRA.
Why does 3D print make sense for golf clubs
The magic of 3D printing (or additional production) lies in its basic change from traditional methods. When you create or mill a club, you start with a large metallic piece and form it – the edges of the reduction, the mill pockets, essentially removing a bunch of material you don’t need until you reach your final shape.
3D print roll this approach to her head. Instead of removing what you do not want, you are just adding what you need – building the club layer by layer from the ground up. This makes the creation of complex geometries significantly easier and allows designers to avoid the need to work on what I think qualifies as a mandatory weight where it is not desirable, rather than a measure where the performance benefits.
What have we seen so far
So far, we’ve seen products like Cobra 3dp Tour Irons (A complete release of the market of what was the border3D), which provide the performance of the game improvement in a compact package reserved for better player cuffs. And while this is cute in itself, it is just the first of what is likely to be some 3D printed golf clubs offered to consumers.
Cobra has also produced single MB prototypes for tour players, showing its ability to manipulate the shape and center of gravity setting for the individual player. Through 3D printing, it has become much easier to aim for the individual player needs or change an aspect of a design without having to process some others.
What we have seen so far mainly falls into the tournament category with Inspired formation. This raises the question: Happy what happens when you apply these principles to a full -size -sized playing head with massive amounts of discretionary weight to move? The result is likely to be something completely unique.
Opportunities are practically endless, and you can bet we will see an expansion of Iron Lining 3D Cobra before the season is over.
What about drivers?
When it comes to metalwoods, everything is about weight management. How many stories have you heard about carbon fibers saving a few grams of crown?
The ability to reduce structural weight and move it precisely where it ensures the greatest benefit. If a manufacturer can get a significant amount of weight from the face (without returning most of it by supporting structures) it opens up interesting design options.
Benefits beyond performance
The advantages of 3D printing extend beyond pure performance:
- Precision and recurrence
- No expensive forms are required
- Significantly reduced the cost for one -way output
- Open countless doors for personalization
Why don’t there are more 3D printed golf clubs?
As with many things, the cost remains the biggest obstacle to the widespread adoption of 3D printing in Golf. Machines required for 3D metal printing are not particularly fast and they are not particularly inexpensive. There are significant costs to increase production.
As technology evolves and prices go down, expect production to grow.
Finishing costs are also considerable. While not necessarily essential to functionality (Cobra’s 3D printed club It will not rust), players expect clubs to look in a certain way, and addressing these aesthetic preferences adds to the final price.
With $ 3,000 for a group of handcuffs, 3D print clubs remain a premium option. Even if manufacturers can reduce it to $ 2,000, it is still an important investment for most players.
That is to say, other manufacturers are absolutely exploring this space. Callaway spoke about printing prototypes to confirm (or reject) design concepts during the development of Elyte. There was a lot of fraud about a smaller manufacturer that brought a 3D driver printed to the market, though we haven’t heard much about it lately.
So why haven’t we seen more commercial products?
Patents are likely to play a role. I will leave Cobra’s IP interpretation for experts, but industry fraud suggests that COBRA patents are wide, and while they may face long -term challenges, for now they present an obstacle for competitors seeking to commercially commercially printed 3D clubs.
In particular, while Avoda golf 3D print For Bryson, what they offer for players are produced using conventional production techniques.
Fad or future?
Returning us to our original question, 3D printing in golf clubs is not the future – is the current reality. While it is Cobra-exclusive currently limits its possibilities, the potential exceeds any existing production process.
This technology is absolutely part of the future of golf. Now it’s here and it goes nowhere. Even if it does not immediately result in more commercial products, expect any manufacturer to use 3D printing somewhere in the process of creating their products, with expansion in other categories expected faster than later.
The 3D printing revolution is not coming – it’s already started.
Do you have a question?
Do you have a question about golf gears? Ask it in the comments section below. Can be presented in a future story.
office 3D printed golf clubs: a fiction or the future? first appeared in MygolfSSS.
