Hertfordshire-based Ogle Models has produced a fully customisable, weight-balanced handle enabling tennis enthusiasts to enjoy the benefits of a fully bespoke racket to take their game to the next level.
Tennis racket specialist, Unstrung Customs, wanted a new and innovative method – away from the traditional moulding – to adapt the grip size of the racket. The aim was to speed the supply process and deliver a precision grip for the user.
Working with Andrew Kelly of Skywide Design, Ogle focused on durability and accuracy throughout the development of the handles.Francisco Ruiz, managing partner at Unstrung Customs, said: “It’s clear that Ogle and Skywide have an established relationship as we were able to reach decisions and break through barriers very quickly and with ease.”
Selective laser sintering (SLS) was the most viable of the 3D printing processes to achieve targets in robustness and weight, whilst maintaining the accuracy of the design. Also, if a player requires more than one handle, SLS is a cost-effective process for small batch production of different variants at once or multiples of the same.
Using a 3D printing process also enabled Unstrung Customs to speed supply from two weeks to under 72 hours and guarantee accuracy of each part, avoiding issues with alignment and grip area which had hindered the previous method of injecting polyfoam into the handle.
