Munich. A rule of thumb in bobsleigh is that success
is one-third start time, one-third equipment, and one-third
performance on the steering pulley. When pushing off, it is the
athletic prowess of the athletes that is key, but as in track and
field, footwear also affects being able to generate maximum
acceleration. Yet, while there are many different types of spiked
shoes tailored to the requirements of different disciplines and
personal preferences available for high-performance sport on the
tartan track, comparable products for the ice channel have long been lacking.
As technology partner of the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton
Federation (BSD), BMW Group is committed to changing this – and using
3D printing processes from automotive development and manufacturing,
they also have the perfect method and the required expertise to
implement the project.
Defined rows of nails are permanently attached to the toe area of the
soles of convential bobsleigh shoes; these nails cannot be replaced or
moved, meaning that once the nails have worn out, the shoe is destined
for the rubbish heap. The solution that BMW and the BSD are working on
is based on track and field shoes, for which threads for screw spikes
are used to attach spike plates on which the spike nails can largely
be distributed without restriction. This combines several advantages.
There is a large selection of shoe styles, so athletes can use a shoe
that suits their individual needs. The material and geometry of the
plate, as well as the placement of the spike nails, can be used to
vary the rigidity and, above all, the power transmission to the ice.
With respect to individual running styles as well as the different
running paths that the various positions entail, especially in a 4-man
bobsleigh, this ensures better acceleration than standard spikes could
ever make possible.
In practice, this means that customised spike plates have to be
designed and efficiently manufactured for each athlete, a task with
which the BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Center is very familiar.
Here, plastics and metals are used to produce a large number of
components without the need for tools or moulds. “We have been using
3D printing to make components for prototypes, customised one-offs, as
well as for series production for more than 30 years,” said Claudia
Rackl, BMW Group Additive Manufacturing Projects & Qualification.
“The major advantages of 3D printing are the time and cost savings as
well as a high degree of flexibility. This allows us to quickly
manufacture, test and efficiently optimise different variants.”
BMW Group engineers have transferred this expertise from automotive
engineering directly to bobsleigh. The geometry of the spike plates is
developed using software and automatically aligned with the topography
of the individual shoes, which was recorded by a 3D scanner. The spike
plates are then printed by a laser welding the corresponding metal
powder together layer by layer.
Various alloys and geometrics are currently being tested and refined
until the optimum result is found – just like in automotive research
and development. Once the ideal basic parameters have been determined,
the software can automatically adapt the design of the spike plate to
any type of shoe, any shoe size, and any number of attachment points
on the sole of the shoe. It will also be possible to produce special
spike plates for the individual requirements of athletes or even for
different weather and ice conditions.
“We tested the spike plates in the World Cup and received a lot of
positive feedback from the athletes,” said bobsleigh head coach René
Spies. “Nevertheless, a few tweaks are still necessary here and there,
but we expect to have the perfect shoes to compete in by the 2026
Olympic Winter Games at the latest.”
This would then create the ideal conditions for the first third on
the road to success, the optimum start time.
