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Dunlop Inferno Tennis Racquet: Fast service on product development

3T RPD'S RAPID PROTOTYPING capability enabled the overall development time of Dunlop's latest tennis racquet, Inferno, to be reduced from six months to just three months.

Whilst design software can provide photo-realistic images ideal for marketing purposes, a physical prototype model can speed up the approval process, and considerably quicken the time taken to develop a product from the initial design stage through to completion and mass production.

Within just 4 days of the initial meeting with Dunlop, 3T were able to produce an accurate model of the tennis racquet using its latest EOS laser sintering equipment.   The resulting hollow prototype was of comparable weight, enabling Dunlop to carry out market evaluation, cosmetic finishing and decal application.

Tim Plunkett, CEO of 3T RPD Ltd, says "3T are well equipped to meet the ever-increasing demand for higher levels of functionality earlier in the design process and product development stages.  We are currently investigating the feasibility of building all the strings in situ!"

Total sintering capacity now exceeds that found anywhere else in the UK, and is expected to grow still further as the true benefits of this technology become recognised.  When combined with the capacity to build small batches, it offers a superior alternative to the conventional polyurethane option.

Working from the industry standard STL data format, components are typically produced in polyamide or glass filled polyamide.  The machine build envelope is a massive 340 x 340 x 620mm, allowing single piece construction of items such as domestic electronic panels, tennis racquets and cylinder heads.  The machine is the latest specification, allowing reduced build times and greater scheduling flexibility.

Much work has gone into meeting the aesthetic requirements as well as the purely functional aspects.  A variety of surface finishes can now be applied, allowing the ultimate combination in a previously unachievable timeframe.

Paul Angell, Product Design Manager for Dunlop, said "We were extremely impressed with the fast service offered by 3T.  It is important to us to keep the design and development of our racquets in the UK, and the functionality of the prototype proved invaluable to the speed of the development process."

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