ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

You are here More Pages
Making Future Industries

3D Printed Surfboard Fins

This project addresses the Global Challenge of Making Future Industries by developing surfboard fins using a performance feedback loop. This loop involves the unique combination of computational fluid dynamics, computer aided design, 3D printing, stiffness/flex testing, ocean testing (surfing the waves), embedded sensors / wearables, the Internet-of-Things, machine learning and surfers’ perceptive experiences.

Surfing is an iconic sport that is extremely popular in coastal regions, including the South Coast of NSW in Australia. The Illawarra is a hotbed of surfers and surfboard makers.

Current surfboard fin manufacturers produce high end products using an expensive injection moulding process to create hydro-foil shaped fins. This process, however, does not allow for easy customisation or rapid prototyping. Creating custom fins is a time consuming and costly process that is difficult to commercialise.

We have already established that additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a viable alternative for manufacturing surfboard fins. For example, it allows for the rapid prototyping and testing of new fin shapes, including optimising fin shapes on a daily cycle. 

The expected outcomes of this project include (but are not limited to) creating a product cycle that allows for rapid testing (including performance analysis) of surfboard fins, enabling the design of fin shapes with improved performance relative to those commercially available. 
 

Macaronis surf resort, Indonesia

The team stayed at Macaronis recently to test a range of new 3D printed surfboard fins. Macaronis was chosen as the ocean laboratory due to the mechanical and consistent quality of the wave. This video explains the design and the science behind it.

Revolutionising the sport of surfing

As UOW researchers bring additive manufacturing to surfboard design, surfers could create their own custom fins. Researchers have designed a performance feedback loop to test fins in real life conditions in an 'ocean laboratory'.

3D printed fins tested in Indonesia

Ever dreamed of surfing some of the world best surf breaks all in the name of research? That’s exactly what the team did on a recent trip to Macaronis in the Mentawai Islands located off Sumatra in Indonesia.

Next level surfing

Professor Marc in het Panhuis on how 3D printing surfboard fins can help researchers rethink current surf fin designs and manufacturing techniques in order to create new shapes, sizes and materials that are more efficient and tailored to the individual surfer’s needs and the waves they ride.

Researchers hit the surf

Within a matter of hours, the research team can dream up and build an entirely new fin design using materials that match the properties of mass produced fins, the team can make functional parts on demand and test them almost immediately on the NSW South Coast.

In the Media

  • , 3dimensions (South Korea), July 2018
  • 3D Printed Surfboard Fins Help Surfers Optimise Performance and Capture Additional Waves, MakerGo 3D Printer (India), July 2018
  • , 3Dsishu (China), July 2018
  • , News RND (Vietnam), July 2018
  • 3D Printed Fins Help Surfers Catch the perfect Wave and May Signal a Revolution in the Sports Industry, Centrum Druku 3D (Poland), July 2018
  • , Print in 3D (Italy), July 2018
  • Kiama surfers set out to Indonesia to combine wave riding and research, Kiama Independent, July 2018
  • 3D printing, the future of surfing, The Stand, July 2018
  • , Swellnet, July 2018
  • , 3ders, July 2018
  •  Stab Magazine, July 2018
  • , Win News, July 2018
  • , Sydney Morning Herald, July 2018
  • Surfers hang ten with 3D printed fins, Sun Herald (page 17), July 2018
  • 3D-printed fins to transform surfing, Canberra Times, July 2018
  • Radio Interview, Mornings with Nick Rheinberger Program, 8.30 am news bulletin, ABC Illawarra Radio, July 2018
  • Test run for 3D-printed fin, lllawarra Mercury (front page and page 7), July 2018
  • , Waxheads, July 2018
  • , 9 News Illawarra, March 2018
  • 3D Printed Fins for Surfboards, Digital Living Lab, Oct 2017
  • 3D Printing looks to grow with Digital Living Lab, UOW EIS News, Oct 2017
  • , Inside Science, 31 Aug, 2017
  • , Channel 9, August 15, 2017
  • , ThisWayUp, Technology Program, 29 June 2017
  • , Breakfast with Simon Lauder, 26 June 2017
  • Talking Lifestyles radio station, Talking Technology Program, 21 June 2017
  • , The Conversation, 16 June 2017
  •  - 3D Printing from Scratch, May 18, 2016
  •  - Springwise, May 17, 2016
  •  - UOW Newsroom, May 4, 2016
  •  - The Australian, May 4, 2016
  •  - The World Industrial Reporter, May 4, 2016
  • , 3Drs, May 4, 2016
  • , 3dprint.com, May 4, 2016
  •  - Australian Geographic, May 5, 2015
  • - Illawarra Mercury, May 5, 2016
  •  - Gizmag, May 3, 2016
  • 3D-printed fins help surfers fine tune performance - GrindTV, May 6, 2016

Publications

Additive Manufacturing, Modeling and Performance Evaluation of 3D Printed Fins for Surfboards,Volume 2, Issue 16 (Processing and Manufacturing) 2017 , pp. 913-920, Reece D. Gately, Stephen Beirne, Geoff Latimer, Matthew Shirlaw, Buyung Kosasih, Andrew Warren, Julie R. Steele and Marc in het Panhuis

The team

This project brings together experts in materials science, human geography, engineering, biomechanics, 3D printing, computer aided design, computational fluid dynamics, Internet-of-Things, data mining and surfing.

  •  is the leader of the project and is in the School of Chemistry and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials, and a Professor of Materials Science
  •  is the deputy-leader of the project and the co-founder of Breast Research Australia (BRA) in the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health
  • James Forsyth
  • Paul Jones (photo-journalist)
  • (Human Geography)
  • Associate Professor Buyung Kosasih (Engineer)
  • Dr Alhoush El-Shahomi (Engineer)
  • Dr Stephen Beirne 
  • Grant Barnsley (Fabrication Technician)
  •  
  •  
  • Dr Benoit Passot 
  •  
  • Fletcher Thompson (Additive Fabrication Officer)
  • Dr Reece Gately 
  • Dr Matthew Berryman 
  • Hugo Henris 
  • Matt Shirlaw (software developer)
  • Geoff Latimer is the coordinator of the Illawarra Sports High School Talented Surfing Program and was instrumental in the conception of the project. He was one of the main testers for the first 3D printed prototypes.
  • Surfboard partner: DP Surfboards (Thirroul, NSW, Australia) DP Surfboards began as a backyard operation in the 1990's and has grown to become one of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ and the South Coast's elite surfboard brands.

 

Surfers

  • Brett Connellan
  • Chad Uphill
  • Dylan Perese
  • Geoff Latimer
  • James Forsyth
  • Nick Clifford

 

This project is working towards the :

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure .  Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production .  Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals