Surfboard
Turning Waste into Surfboards
The challenge seemed as big as the Pacific Ocean itself: Produce an outstandingly robust and reliable filament – made 100% of recycled waste – that protects the environment, supports the circular economy, and opens up radical new design possibilities. Read on to find out how we achieved exactly that, together with YUYO and their sustainable surfboards.
Project Breakdown
Industry
Consumer goods
Project
Surfboard
Customer
YUYO
Forward AM materials used
Ultrafuse® rPET
The ocean is their playground
And a playground everybody wants to preserve for future generations. No wonder surfers are highly concerned about ocean ecosystems and want to actively contribute to their protection. But their sport is itself a major obstacle, as the vast majority of surfboards out there are pollutive, non-recyclable, and toxic to ocean life (more information here). It’s clear that the surfer community is facing a critical paradox.
French company YUYO joined forces with Forward AM to overcome this contradiction – by developing a sustainable surfboard alternative.
Using industrial-scale 3D printing technology and the latest biocomposite materials, YUYO and Forward AM designed a surfboard made completely of recycled materials. Even better, the design freedom provided by Additive Manufacturing now enables YUYO to customize their products to the max and give surfers the bespoke, sustainable boards they’ve been asking for.
Medical waste, surfboards and Additive Manufacturing – how do they all tie in?
In 2018, YUYO founder Romain Paul heard about the high volumes of hospital waste, mainly as plastic packaging completely harmless to human health. Aware of this environmental issue, he researched the steps required to collect, sort, and process this medical waste – and the idea of using it as feedstock was born. The key to putting his brilliant concept into action was to find a material that consisted entirely of recycled medical waste and was ready for processing on large-scale 3D printers. Following extensive investigation, YUYO discovered there was only one recycled filament that ticked all the boxes: Ultrafuse® rPET by Forward AM.
The internal structure of YUYO’s surfboards is 3D printed with Ultrafuse® rPET that’s 100% recycled from waste medical trays used for sterilizing surgical tools. This filament is outstandingly reliable, always delivering the exact same characteristics such as identical viscosity and filament diameter. Quite simply, it prints as reliably as a regular top-grade virgin PET filament.
“Thanks to Ultrafuse® rPET we now have a filament that delivers the printing experience that we demand – every single time.”
Romain Paul, Founder of YUYO
Surf’s up, so we’ll keep it short. Ultrafuse® rPET is the ideal sustainable alternative to PET that also ensures outstanding 3D printing performance and easy handling. To top it off, the rPET core of the surfboard is covered with a layer of biocomposite: The result? A truly eco-friendly surfboard – the YUYO Natural Surfboard.
The result: Catch a wave with full peace of mind
To bring it all together: Right alongside the environmental benefits, Additive Manufacturing gives YUYO outstanding new design possibilities for their surfboards. Thanks to 3D printing, customization has never been easier.
“We can now produce custom, on-demand surfboards that match the performance of conventional boards in every way – and are harmless to marine ecosystems.”
Romain Paul, Founder of YUYO
Harnessing the huge potential of Additive Manufacturing now enables YUYO to produce on-demand bespoke surfboards responsibly. Thanks to Ultrafuse® rPET, YUYO is reducing medical waste, minimizing the environmental impact of surfboards, and helping preserve ocean ecosystems for the next generation of surfers.
Have we sparked your interest? Find out more about this project here.
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