Here at 3D Rapid Print, one of the fastest growing 3D Printing companies in the Thames Valley, we like to keep abreast of the latest innovations in 3D printing.
In late August 2019, bicycle company Specialized Bicycle Components (Specialized) of Morgan Hill, California unveiled its new 3D printed saddle nicknamed “Mirror.” Expected to launch in 2020, it does away with conventional foam padding, being made from a 3D printed polymer lattice structure attached to a carbon composite base. Specialized claim that the saddle’s 3D printed structure features 14,000 struts and 7,799 nodes, and that the entire pattern is customizable in terms of both structure and density for the comfort and support of the rider.
Specialized is collaborating with specialist 3D printing company Carbon 3D of Redwood City, California to make the saddle via Carbon 3D’s Digital Light Synthesis technology (DLS). This involves projecting ultraviolet light through an oxygen-permeable window into a special liquid resin, curing the resin into the shape of the object being printed. Carbon 3D also collaborated with cycling gear company Fizik on creating “The Adaptive,” a different 3D printed bike saddle that was unveiled at the international bicycle trade fair Eurobike in September 2019.
However, bike saddles aren’t the only bike parts being 3D printed. The day after Specialized unveiled the Mirror saddle, metal 3D printers SLM Solutions of Lübeck, Germany announced the creation of a 3D printed bicycle pulley wheel, which had been successfully used in the 2019 Tour De France bicycle race. They had collaborated with cycling specialists CeramicSpeed of Holstebro, Denmark and the Danish Technological Institute. In April 2018, custom bike frame maker Prova Cycles of Victoria, Australia showed off a bike with a 3D printed frame at the then 8th edition of custom made bike show Bespoked in Bristol, England. Prova Cycles’s about page proclaims that they have won multiple awards from previous versions of the show.
3D printing is an amazing tool. It can grow your small business or start a mini revolution in an industry. Explore what it can do for you when you contact us today.
Disclaimer: Featured image of “Bicycle two 1886” is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1925, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal.
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