Titanium 3D Printing opens the door to a whole world of manufacturing possibilities. Allowing the brave to leverage benefits and unlock speed, efficiency and strength. Follow in the footsteps of Formula 1 syndicates and elite America's Cup teams by utilizing our metal additive process.
Zenith Tecnica recently partnered with High-Performance Sport New Zealand to assist two top Kiwi Athletes. Paralympians, Holly Robinson and Anna Grimaldi, required customized and tailor-made prosthetics to assist their training.
“I’m so thankful that I’ve got this [prosthetic], it’s allowed me to train so much more in the gym to do a lot more things and that was through High Performance Sport” Says Holly Robinson
Holly and Anna both have arm impairments but to different extents so while the design was quite similar, it was customized for the individual so they each have a different assembly of components. Read more about it here
When it comes to performance, strength vs weight often leads the discussion. However, when utilizing Titanium AM, this does not need to be the case. We partnered with Skrunkwerks engineer, Adrian Braun, to help develop his ‘Titanium High Ratio Rockers‘ for his custom built BMW motorcycle.
“The Ti alloy used in the EBM process has a strength approaching tool steel while about 42% lighter. Even with the addition of the tip roller, the finished design is around 40% lighter than the stock item and importantly, posts a 25% reduction in polar mass inertia – that alone is worth 200-300rpm to the red line (other things being equal). All this while dealing with 38% higher spring forces that are required for this high lift system.” says Braun.
Take design to a finished and functioning part in a few weeks. The New Zealand Defence Force leveraged additive manufacturing with Zenith Tecnica to develop a customized cycling solution for the veteran, Stevin Creeggan. Even after suffering severe damage to his right leg and having self-fused vertebrae in his neck and lower back as a result of a helicopter crash, Creeggan remains physically active. To assist Creeggan’s training and performance in the Invictus Games, the NZDF and Zenith Tecnica were able to produce a titanium 3d printed pedal spacer. Improving on an existing design, and taking advantage of AM benefits, the final spacer had a weight reduction from 250g down to 50g.
“The design team found that sweet spot in the middle of being light, functional and strong,” the veteran said. “My right leg is now ergonomically correct so it is now at the point where I can stand up to pedal and I have trust in my leg and my bike to push harder than I have been able to before.”