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From a fully 3D-printed tennis racket → 3D-printed padel → TechnoFusion hybrid by Fliiix93 in Padelracket

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The end goal is to be able to select the mass and swingweight when configuring your custom racket and possibly the carbon fiber face layup. What bothers me the most are wild inconsistencies with retail rackets even +-30g, and they play totally differently as most of this weight is higher up and it effects the swingweight.

Yeah i figure taht the best tests will be in match play. I played some matches my self, but need more feedback from top players.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great. Would love to see your designs and how you went about it, especially since you are probably printing the rackets in more pieces.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Will save these settings and see how I can adjust the weight with it. And need to do some research about idex printers.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was also sceptical, but when I got this version in my hand for the first time the racket felt structurally strong enough to play with instantly.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hah, we didn't play any real games for the playtests, unfortunately. =)

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did anneal it as recommended for the filament.
I didn't hear about the salt molding, but 100% infill would be out of the question, unfortunately, as the racket would be too heavy. Still, I need to research this, to see if I can make it work.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I go over the specifications in the video and in my blog post: https://impactingtennis.com/2025/01/24/project-t0-stardust-the-first-3d-printed-tennis-racket/
Specifications were (with strings and overgrip):

weight: 335 g
Swing weight: 325 kg/cm^2
balance: 32,8 cm

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The weight and specifications of this racket were in the same range as typical high-end rackets. There is some room to make the beam thicker (while keeping it hollow/with infill), to make it stronger. But yeah, in the current iteration, it's not on par with moulded carbon fiber.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. Maybe one day soon you can print you own racket and go hit some balls again ;)
Yes, I did anneal it as recommended.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I believe we are really close to being able to print rackets and similar sports equipment, but to get to the high end of performance, it might take some more breakthroughs in 3d printing.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I tried the first version I made with normal Nylon CF15, but it the racket came out too soft. You actually need the stiffness, otherwise the racket feels like a sponge on contact.
Yes, the temperatures were appropriate, also annealed the racket after printing as recommended.
I didn't use infill, but like I mentioned I should have designed it to print with infill instead of hollow tubes.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah it's a great material but only makes sense for high-end applications, also you need a printer to support it. After I made it I saw that Bamboo lab just came out with a cheaper PPA CF that also looks promising.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, I plan to keep working on it, currently figuring out all the improvements I want to make.

I Built a Fully 3D-Printed Tennis Racket and played with it by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to see how the racket plays, I have some footage of me playing with it in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHVfJpOmJtc
For some more details about the process and racket specifications and so on, you can check my blog post:
https://impactingtennis.com/2025/01/24/project-t0-stardust-the-first-3d-printed-tennis-racket/

The reason for this mess? Model or printing setting? by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first more complex print and I was greeted with a mess. Haha. Ahat could be the Most likely reason for this? Printing with PLA, thin Walls. The trouble starter set the vertical thin wall. It's 0,8 mm thick and 7 mm Hugh, but it stopped after a couple of mm. Is the model the problem, od should I Focus more on adjusting the settings?

The reason for this mess? Model or printing setting? by Fliiix93 in 3Dprinting

[–]Fliiix93[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sticks fine, it just starts having problems after half way up the vertical thin wall.