3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / Braille Skateboarding Puts Our 3D Printed Skateboard Deck to the Test!
qidi

Braille Skateboarding Puts Our 3D Printed Skateboard Deck to the Test!

March 22, 2017

Braille Skateboarding is a well known skate brand with a massive following on YouTube. They have this format called ‘You make it we skate it’ and we were lucky enough that put our 3D printed skateboard deck to the test.

In the video description they refer to our 3D printed skateboard as “one of the highest quality 3D printed boards” they have tested yet. The skateboard is quite heavy but they managed to pull off quite a few tricks. Eventually, they end up breaking the board but it looks pretty cool while it lasts.

The Skateboard

We printed the board on a DeltaWASP 3MT, an enormous 3D printer with a 1 x 1 x 1 meter build volume. It was printed with up-cycled PLA pellets manufactured by Formfutura. Due to the pellets being up-cycled, the material costs came down to only a few dollars per deck. The board weighs about 10 pounds, which is quite heavy in comparison to a normal skateboard.

PLA has a bad rep when it comes down to strength and durability. Though when you print PLA with a pellet extrusion 3D printer, with a huge three millimeter nozzle and a 1mm layerheight, suddenly the interlayer bonding improves and printed PLA gets kick ass strength and durability. It also enables you to print really fast: e.g a 10 lbs. deck in four and a half hours.

As far as we know, this is the only single-print skateboard deck. All others we know of are made of multiple separately printed parts. This gives it a unique design but it also means that the board requires some complex post-processing.

The Process

The board was originally printed flat. In order to give it the proper concave shape, we had to soften up the board and then insert it into a mold. To do this, our workshop developed a wooden mold (shown below). The purpose of the mold was to press down on the plastic and shape the skateboard once it was between the 3 pieces.

3D Printing Skateboard Mould Shape How To
Fig 1 – The mould used to give the board its shape

We had to soak the board in boiling water for about 20 minutes to get a proper flexibility. Because of this time period, we had to create a makeshift pool to keep the board submerged and simultaneously warm up the water at various intervals. After many designs, we decided to use black plastic bags and tape. We stuck the bags into the sides of the mold so it could contain the water.

3D Printing Skateboard Boiling Water Mold
Fig 2 – Insert Boiling Water into Mold

Once the 20 minutes had passed, we took out the board. It was surprising to see just how loose and floppy it had become. Then, we needed to bolt down the cap on top and let it take shape. In 5 minutes, the board cooled down and was in its proper form. The bends were now indented into the structure and we only needed to attach the wheels.

Related Story
Large Scale 3D Printers Big Enough to Print Furniture

Finished 3D Printed Skateboard

braille skateboarding

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Singapore Startup Creates Limited Edition 3D-Printed Collectibles from Recycled Plastic Bottles

Singapore-based startup Unigons has launched a limited collection of 3D-printed Merlion figurines made from recycled plastic bottles. The company produced 60 pieces of... read more »

News
Singapore Startup Creates Limited Edition 3D-Printed Collectibles from Recycled Plastic Bottles

Designer Uses Robotic 3D Printing to Create Dual-Purpose Dog Furniture

Designer Liam de la Bedoyere has developed the Dog Hut Side Table, a piece of furniture that combines a resting space for dogs... read more »

News
Designer Uses Robotic 3D Printing to Create Dual-Purpose Dog Furniture

Scientists 3D Print Solar-Powered Sponge for Seawater Desalination

Researchers have developed a 3D-printed aerogel material that uses sunlight to convert seawater into drinking water. The sponge-like structure contains microscopic vertical channels... read more »

News

Revopoint Launches Major Prime Event 2025 Sale with Up to 40% Off 3D Scanners and Accessories

Revopoint is kicking off its Prime Event 2025 with a series of major discounts on its range of professional 3D scanners and accessories.... read more »

News

Turkish Companies Test 3D Printed Component for Armored Vehicles

MetalWorm and Nurol Makina, both based in Ankara, Turkey, have completed testing of an armored vehicle component manufactured using Directed Energy Deposition (DED)... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Turkish Companies Test 3D Printed Component for Armored Vehicles

McGill Spinout Uses 3D Bioprinting to Create Tumors for Smarter Cancer Treatments

TissueTinker, a McGill University spinout company, has developed 3D bioprinting technology to create miniaturized tumor models for cancer drug testing. The company recently... read more »

Medical
McGill Spinout Uses 3D Bioprinting to Create Tumors for Smarter Cancer Treatments

University of Twente Awarded €13.6M for Research in Circular 3D Printing and Transparent AI

The University of Twente has received €13.6 million in funding from the 2024 NWA ORC program to lead two research projects focused on... read more »

News
University of Twente Awarded €13.6M for Research in Circular 3D Printing and Transparent AI

China’s 3D Printed Micro Turbojet Engine Completes Maiden Flight

The Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) has successfully completed the first flight test of its 3D-printed micro turbojet engine in Inner Mongolia... read more »

Aerospace
China's 3D Printed Micro Turbojet Engine Completes Maiden Flight

Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Researchers at the University of Cambridge's Center for Industrial Photonics have developed a new additive manufacturing technique called laser-assisted cold spray (LACS). The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing