The Italian company Roboze S.P.A. announced that it has realised a skateboard using FFF 3D printing technology, choosing high temperature polymers and composite materials in order to combine lightness and high resistance. According to the company, it used carbon PA, PP, PEEK, and thermoplastic polyurethane to manufacture the skateboard.
The board and the bases of the skateboard have been printed in carbon PA, one of the strongest and mechanically best performing materials in the FFF 3D printing field, which is said to be ideal for the reduction of weight through the replacement of metal as well as for the improvement of safety through its good impact absorption properties.
The wheels are made of polypropylene, offering high resistance against impact and wear. The washers and the nuts are made of the semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer PEEK, which combines very good mechanical properties with a medium-low elastic modulus.
Furthermore, the bearings are made of Flex, a thermoplastic polyurethane, that is said to offer high resistance to abrasion, wear and laceration.