3D-Printed Composite Surfboards
The 3D‑printed surfboard started as an idea from my co‑founder, Luke, and came to life when I joined the team. We asked a simple question: how can modern technology make surfboards more sustainable? The answer became a 3D‑printed lattice core made from recycled plastics. The structure, tailored to each customer and model, is lightweight and efficient.
For the core design, our goal was to keep the board translucent, but this posed significant durability and performance issues that I had to design around. I optimized our lattice structure using a Grasshopper script, implementing several changes to reduce weight while maintaining strength.
Impact
Our lattice structure has gone through countless iterations. After getting customer feedback and testing the product ourselves, we altered our design to a hexagon, a much stronger shape but more challenging to 3D print. This allowed us to reduce the weight even more but continue to keep the translucent look. These surfboards are for sale today and can be seen in various surf shops in New England.
- Reduced weight by over 60% from initial prototypes
- Produced a novel, beautiful product made start to finish by me
- Decreased custom board designing time from 8 hours to 20 minutes
- Stayed true to the mission using recycled feedstock and bio-based epoxy