It’s the new NBA ball that promises the latest technology

Just like in football, a ball has been implemented with technology to detect straying, in basketball alternatives are also being sought to take advantage of certain advances such as 3D printing.

Wilsonthe company that manufactures balls for the NBAhas developed a product that does not need to be inflated and instead has a perforated structure that allows air circulation for normal operation.

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“With eight panel-like lobes and a familiar seam structure, it’s a ball unlike anything we’ve ever seen, designed to play like the basketballs we’ve always known,” the company says on its website.

This ball has already been tested in the All Star event of the competition during a hoop shooting show by Houston Rockets player KJ Martin, with no effect on athletic performance.

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Traditionally, the ball of NBA It is made of strips of synthetic leather, for the most part, and inside it has rubber chambers which are filled with air to allow it to bounce. But with this project, called Airless Prototype, a lot of things change.

Based on the same concept of airless tires, the company has designed a balloon that has no tubes to inflate it, but is shaped using 3D printing with a synthetic material. The structure has small hexagonal holes that allow the rebound against the ground and the seam lines typical of a traditional ball have been added to facilitate the grip.

For the 3d printing, The process is as follows: the drawing is first made on a computer, then the system uses a laser which draws the pattern forming the small holes mentioned in a structure of white polymer powder and melts it until obtaining a a solidified sheet.

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The process is repeated layer by layer until the ball shape is achieved. It is then removed from the powder coat, cleaned and brought into a machine to paint it matte black. All of this work is done in conjunction with EOS, a German printing company, using SLS technology to convert the system file into a printed basketball.

The test results are satisfactory, since they go hand in hand with traditional balls. Although the company in charge assures that it still has work to do to bring it to an official competition, such as solving the problem of wind resistance when launching it, weight and rebound on the board. For now they hope to put it on sale soon.

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This technology already has several use cases in other sporting activities. Initially, it was implemented to manufacture limb prostheses for athletes with physical disabilities.

Other cases include the production of custom tools such as bicycle grips that fit everyone’s hand, especially for amateur sports.

For elite venues, the German Olympic Luge, Bobsleigh and Skeleton teams have entered into an agreement with BMW for the production of customized equipment via 3d printing for these toboggan-oriented activities.