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Are 3D Printed Golf Clubs about to Become a Reality

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fupresti

fupresti

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https://newatlas.com/desktop-metal-3d-printing/50654/

So it appears a manufacturer is close to releasing a revolutionary 3D metal printer that can print in 4140 chromoly steel, aluminum, copper, bronze, a range of stainless steels, Hiperco 50 magnetic, titanium, and more than 200 other alloys. Apparently this can all be done 100x faster and 10x cheaper then current machines and brings it inline with mass marketing manufacturing costs.

If this truly is possible, what does it mean for golf. Could we be close to completely custom clubs for market rate on mass market clubs?
 
Interesting read, thanks for posting!


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Very interesting!!
 
Great read. Will be interesting to see where this goes.
 
fupresti said:
https://newatlas.com/desktop-metal-3d-printing/50654/

So it appears a manufacturer is close to releasing a revolutionary 3D metal printer that can print in 4140 chromoly steel, aluminum, copper, bronze, a range of stainless steels, Hiperco 50 magnetic, titanium, and more than 200 other alloys. Apparently this can all be done 100x faster and 10x cheaper then current machines and brings it inline with mass marketing manufacturing costs.

If this truly is possible, what does it mean for golf. Could we be close to completely custom clubs for market rate on mass market clubs?
Click to expand...

The interesting side of it as to costs are does it eliminate mold cost and transport cost.

It's something Dean and I will have to discuss with companies while on CA next week.
 
JB said:
The interesting side of it as to costs are does it eliminate mold cost and transport cost.

It's something Dean and I will have to discuss with companies while on CA next week.
Click to expand...

Good point. Although if the printer costs become manageable, could an OEM simply stage printers geographically to mitigate this cost?

Imagine Callaway could simply print the heads on demand at the assembly point, eliminating the need to transport them altogether.
 
There is a company here in orlando that made these a couple years ago and it was not cheap. Glad someone figured it out.
 
fupresti said:
Good point. Although if the printer costs become manageable, could an OEM simply stage printers geographically to mitigate this cost?

Imagine Callaway could simply print the heads on demand at the assembly point, eliminating the need to transport them altogether.
Click to expand...

That was kind of my take. We already know the cost of manufacturing overseas has gone up to where when addition of transport, its not a big savings doing it there anymore, but there are other reasons that it is (thanks govt regulations).
Having the ability to proto, mold and produce in house, with no need to transport outside of the continental 50 and you have a chance to see big things from companies.
 
Didn't Ping have a 3D printed putter a few years back ?
 
That's something I've wondered about before. As the technology progresses and becomes cheaper I wonder how many diyer's will start trying their hand at clubs.
 
Very interesting read, hard to imagine everything being printed in the future
 
We have a reasonably new 3D printer at work for plastic parts and even simple stuff takes hours... I can't imagine ever 3D printing production parts.

Dave
 
Seems at best we will see this being used in the R&D spaces of the OEM's. I can't see mass production for a long while.


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fupresti said:
Good point. Although if the printer costs become manageable, could an OEM simply stage printers geographically to mitigate this cost?

Imagine Callaway could simply print the heads on demand at the assembly point, eliminating the need to transport them altogether.
Click to expand...

Or is the assembly point a golf center, with a 3D printer, or even several, certified by four - or 14 - OEMs and operating as a shared contract manufacturer? Course pro shops would have to change their business models - they might have to partner with these larger centers.

There is a company here in orlando that made these a couple years ago and it was not cheap. Glad someone figured it out.
Click to expand...

Disruptive technology is almost always more expensive initially.

As the technology progresses and becomes cheaper I wonder how many diyer's will start trying their hand at clubs.
Click to expand...

It'd be fun to be a fly on the wall at the USGA and R&A when THAT starts to happen. Also, imagine the potential liability issues. . . .

We have a reasonably new 3D printer at work for plastic parts and even simple stuff takes hours... I can't imagine ever 3D printing production parts.
Click to expand...

They are making aircraft turbine parts via 3D printing right now: https://www.eos.info/aerospace
Wanna get away?
 
Reframmellator said:
They are making aircraft turbine parts via 3D printing right now: https://www.eos.info/aerospace
Wanna get away?
Click to expand...

I guess it comes down to the industry. Aircraft turbines are much different than our parts. Still, it must huge margin or they are making up for some other type of market inefficiency.

Dave
 
I printed a wedge on my laserjet once. It didn't perform too well.


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dthrog00 said:
I guess it comes down to the industry. Aircraft turbines are much different than our parts. Still, it must huge margin or they are making up for some other type of market inefficiency.

Dave
Click to expand...

They work well for turbine parts because the materials are hideously expensive and bears to work with by conventional fabrication techniques.
 
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