Record Breaking Kitesurfing Challenge Across The Bristol Channel}
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Submitted by: Kiteboarding Stuff
In the name of extreme sports and competition, we bring you another chapter and event to see this year. This race combines the extreme elements of weather, sports and competition in both land and sea. Now comes the high tech boost of 3D printing that are made for kitesurfers who are about to race across the Bristol Channel this week, aiming to beat the drivers on the land for the very first time.
Its also an event that aims to change the way kiteboards are made in general knowledge. The students of University of Wales TSD Swansea, who also takes part of this extraordinary event, take off with this competition in which they also aim for making a history in the world of sport with their skills in modifying boards with 3d printed parts. It is a process in which it has the ability to transform the artistry and manufacturing of kitesurfing equipment into a whole new image.
As it is aiming to promote better extreme kitesurfing sport, it is also designed to promote the first extreme sports engineering design course that is created by the students of University of Wales Trinity Saint David Swansea, while on the other hand, the project is also designed to promote some lightning fast kiting experience. The students of the said university collaborated with Stratasys by using their Fortus 3D Production System that helps modify the design of the boards to use. It will help send students flying across the channel with the power of 3D printing technology behind them. It will be an amazing event to witness.
Dr. Ross Head, the Product Design Manager for Cerebra at the University of Wales TSD Swansea, explains the use of 3D printing technology with kitesurfing, The use of 3D printing in product design, and especially in the extreme sport market, is revolutionizing the manufacturing process and the speed to which companies can bring new products to market. We wanted our students to witness this first hand. Dr. Ross Head is also one of the kitesurfers who are into the challenge to cross the Bristol Channel.
With the University of Wales TSD Swansea students collaborated with the help from Stratasys, they have come up with the goals of great control, speed and technical reliability. Aside from that, they also have:
1. 3D printed fins, offering better size, shape, and angles to catch the wind.
2. Carbon fiber wrapping for rigidity and improved, lighter weight, and higher traveling speed.
3. 3D printed inserts to attach the foot straps to the board, designed to achieve the maximum strength possible as they are glued into the foam core.
For the competition to begin, there are five kitesurfers who will be competing against another group of individuals who will be doing their kitesurfing skills on land. They will also traveling the same destination in a standard Japanese hybrid car. The contest is expected to last several hours, depending on wind and water conditions. And aside from that, it will be an event that everyone is not expecting at all. For 3D printing the new and improved parts, they employed two Stratasys Fortus 250mc 3D Production Systems in collaboration with Stratasys reseller, Laser Lines. We redesigned the boards fins using a quad configuration with parts 3D printed using PC-ABS. These new fins provide us with improved lateral grip in the water and the ability to make quick turns. On the underside of the boards, we also designed a very flat rocker line, which means that the boards plane easily and achieve much higher speeds. When you put all of these improvements together, they contribute towards considerable performance gains, explained by Dr. Ross Head.
It will be an event full of fun and exciting adventure. Aside from that, it will be a lifetime collegiate experience, in both intellectual and experiential endeavor for the students of the University of Wales will learn more about proper:
1. Design
2. Manufacturing
3. Commercial market challenges
4. Career options
Are you looking forward to seeing this event? We will all be surprised of how this event will turn out real soon. See you all there folks!
About the Author: Our kiteboardingstuff team is obsessed with extreme sports and we’re focused on providing competitive prices on kiteboarding equipment. We aim to provide a memorable experience when you shop on our online store, offering quality products with top-rated customer service.We’ve been kiting, and surfing, for the last few years in San Diego, California, and we absolutely love being headquartered just blocks away from the ocean. And we have a fantastic team here helping us with
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