3D Printed Surfboards of the Future
The oldest surfboard dates all the way back to 1778, when Hawaiian royalty road surfboards carved out of wood. Since then, there have been many advances in surfboard construction since then. From solid wood to wooden frames to polyurethane to epoxy to foam, surfboards have evolved in leaps and bounds.
Surfboards are evolving once again with a French company’s new construction. Wyve, located in Anglet, France (30 minutes south of Hossegor), is using 3D printers to shape a quiver of surfboards. Each board has an internal hexagonal, structure filled with air that is then glassed with fiberglass. These boards are more than a crazy concept; they offer a new way for surfers to be eco-friendly.
Currently, the boards are made using a bio-plastic, PLA, made from corn starch and glass using a bio-resin. In addition, the entire process is reported to eliminate a percentage of the green-house gasses emitted from shaping a polyurethane or epoxy board.
Another exciting element of the design is the repairability and durability of the board. These boards are built with duration in mind. Should your board take on any water, you only need to drain the board and patch the resin. And, when your board reaches the end of its long life, the plastic core is entirely recyclable.
Wyve is committed to providing high-performance boards while also continually looking to minimize their environmental impact. Already, they are looking to use recycled plastics for their core production.
While new tech is slow to be broadly accepted into surf-world, Wyve’s innovation certainly challenges what is possible for surfboard constructions and could be seen soon at breaks arounds the world.
Check Wyve’s website here: https://www.wyvesurf.com/
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