3D printed basketBall: the Airless Prototype

The main obstacle is the combination of new technology and a proprietary material, resulting in a ball with a completely unique surface texture that differed from rubber or composite materials. Particularly when it comes out of the printer, it is white and has a finish that isn’t necessarily favorable for the player. The end-user was going to be an athlete, and for them comfort, appearance, and tactile experience are crucial. While we can experiment with aesthetics and design, if the athlete doesn’t feel at ease with the ball, the application willl never succeed. Therefore, a very important step was to transform the printed part into a product that closely resembled what the athlete was accustomed to, ensuring a more familiar and satisfying experience.

With General Lattice’s Computational Design Services, the final design was found using precise settings of various parameters. EOS was able to find the specific, high-performance material and the right printing solution. To go from the raw, printed part to a playable product, DyeMansion’s VaporFuse Surfacing and DeepDye Coloring is used. The Powerfuse S and the process known as VaporFuse Surfacing, is introducing a solvent via vapor form into the process chamber and onto the ball itself via a unique sequence. This way it’s creating condensation on the ball itself. As that process transforms, the system creats iterative cycles to repeat that process over and over via very specific parameters that can be defined based on the smoothness level that is being aimed for. In the final stages the system is removing all of the residual vapor off the part. After the process there’s a ready-to-go product straight out of the system that can then be colored in the next step. With the DM60 a dye pigment is introduced into the part. This dye is chemically bonded to the polymer links themselves, which means the process is impacting into the part itself and therefore not leaving anything on the surface that’s residual.

• Completely sealed surface, refraining from dirt and debris uptake
  
  
• Surface for a more seamless feel of play by resisting perspiration
  
  
• A homogeneous color – which is always reproducible due to a reliable process using cartridges
  
  
• Fully automated system that can run lights out when going into larger production volumes