Athletic Equipment

Consumer expectations for athletic equipment have never been higher. In every sport from golf and tennis to football and ice hockey, equipment manufacturers are turning to advanced design and fabrication technologies to give their customers an edge. Engineers and product designers consistently push the envelope, striving to create groundbreaking designs that strike the perfect balance between form and function.

Any imperfection in the intricate interplay of materials and structural features can have a profound impact on an athlete's experience. Even minor deviations can result in discomfort, compromised performance, and sometimes injury. The stakes are high, and the margin for error is razor-thin. To guarantee that every element of these complex designs aligns with the intended specifications, engineers must rely on cutting-edge inspection techniques.

With industrial X-ray CT, engineers working on performance athletic equipment can examine intact prototypes and share scans with coworkers and suppliers, saving time and cost while breaking new ground with their products.

859984929

From running shoes to bicycles, athletic equipment and everyday footwear grow out of meticulous design and engineering processes to meet the highest standards. But a range of obstacles stands between initial concepts and final results, as even well-conceived products can harbor hidden flaws that not only compromise performance but also pose significant risks to customers. Industrial CT is here to help.

With Lumafield's browser-based Voyager analysis software, engineers can take precise measurements and detect dimensional deviations swiftly. Porosity analysis helps uncover hidden voids, a crucial capability to address issues of material integrity. CAD Comparison and Scan to Scan Comparison enable engineers to compare components with CAD models and other parts to quantify deviations, providing insights to combat misaligned assemblies and ensure seamless fits.

One of the great parts about Voyager is that anybody from Trek is able to go in, look at the scans, and look at your regions of interest.

Larry Lardieri

Product Design Engineer

Ski bindings

Alignment of the dense metal adjustment components and plastic injection-molded parts in ski bindings is crucial. Here, CT reveals and quantifies concerning internal porosity at crucial points of contact within the assembly.

Titanium driver

Industrial CT makes it easy to verify the construction of high-performance assemblies like this titanium golf driver.

3D-printed shoe

In this running shoe with a 3D-printed midsole, CT scans allow for easy inspection of the lattice structure and confirmation of proper powder fusion during the selective laser sintering (SLS) process.

Applications include:

Download

The Engineer’s Guide to Athletic Equipment Defects

Download our free white paper, The Engineer's Guide to Athletic Equipment Defects, to learn about five common defects that engineers and product designers in the athletic and footwear industries frequently encounter. As we delve into each challenge, we will uncover their origins, implications, and the innovative solutions that engineering offers, including the invaluable capabilities of industrial CT scanning.

With Lumafield’s Neptune industrial CT scanner and Voyager analysis software, the athletic equipment industry can navigate these challenges with confidence.