A brief history explaining how and why people are now looking to 3D printing for surfboards.
When surfing was first introduced to the British Isles in 1890 by two Hawaiian princes, it was on large wooden planks potentially up to 15 foot long. Since then it has developed and evolved dramatically, both in style and in the materials used. In this blog we discuss the development of surfboards in the UK, and how we are now approaching a new age of 3D printed surfboards.
Surfboard Development
You can still get wooden surfboards to this day, albeit now with a fibreglass skin. However, since the introduction of foam in the 1960s, a foam core and fibreglass skin surfboard has became the material combination of choice. This is because foam is very light weight and relatively easy to cut and shape. This lead to a flurry of much smaller more manageable, manoeuvrable boards, and during this time there was a huge experimentation in shapes, sizes and volume. Many of the tricks and carves seen today wouldn't be possible with a wooden board.
Although the foam has had some development over the years to become more consistent, more pure, and easier to shape, there hasn't been a whole lot of change or advancements since this shift 60 years ago.
There are several reasons for this:
The surfboard shape is a complex, precise shape to allow you to aquaplane with control.
Custom surfboards are sized and fitted to individuals based on their size, experience, and preferred style, making mass manufacture extremely difficult.
Surfboard shaping and making knowledge is hard to come by, and 'shapers' are very rare, each with their own closely guarded knowledge and tricks!
Since the introduction of 3D printing, however, this could be the answer to these problems.
3D Printing
Unlike traditional methods of manufacture, 3D printing doesn't start with a block of material and a maker cutting a shape out of it. Instead, it deposits tiny amounts of the material bit by bit, layer by layer, building an ever bigger shape. This means that there isn't lots of material cut away and wasted, it only uses the material it needs.
3D printing also has access to a wide selection of materials. This means non-toxic, stable substances can be used and no carcinogenic particles will be produced. The use of bio-materials also means that there are opportunities to degrade the prints post use.
Finally, unlike other types of automated manufacturing processes, 3D printing is customizable. This means every print, or every board in this case, can be unique to each customer, retaining the ability to create a design which will be fitted to the surfers size, experience and style.
3D Printing Surfboards
Vol.Surfboards' first prototype 3D Printed core board. First ridden in
May 2021 on the South Coast of Wales, UK.
As the first company to industrially 3D print surfboard cores in the UK, Vol. Surfboards created their first surfable 3D printed prototype board in 2021, and by early 2023 has started rolling out a pilot stage launch of boards. The material used for printing is a by-product from the starch or sugarcane industry and is non-toxic, and the process is nearly entirely automated.
Like wood and foam, the cores are then finished with a fibreglass skin. This makes them very similar to other commonly available boards today. There has been investigations into materials which could be printed instead of finishing with fibreglass, with some promising outcomes. It does appear, however, that a significant amount of development is required before it becomes possible to print the skin in this way.
With a superior sustainability profile over foam, and coming off significantly lighter than wood, 3D printed surfboards look tipped to take the surfing world by storm. As time goes on and the technology develops, designs are getting stronger, lighter, and are printing faster. It is an exciting time as 3D printed surfboards are starting to become the obvious choice for environmentally conscious surfers.