I had tons of wonderful take aways from visiting Hawaii early this year. I was inspired to live in a different frame of mind by observing the boys and girls surfing off the beach. These memories lead me to find out more about the production of the surfboards and how they are built !
Did you know the majority of surfboards made on the islands are still HAND MADE? That's incredible to me in consideration of the manufacturing software that's available . I believe the explanation that there is no real standardizing of how even longboard surfboards (generally utilized by the novice ) are made is perhaps because there's no standard surfer and no standard wave. Folks from all walks of life and fitness levels surf. Whether or not they surf SOUNDLY is another consideration but the goal to master the wave is the draw for many to continue coming back. There are also many alternative types of waves to think about in this water flow game. So many actually the surfing set has created an entire vernacular for describing waves. Even still it seems to me that in today's world of technology the surfing business could benefit from the implementation of engineering standards and manufacturing automation.
Here are one or two ideas that I have for an entrepreneurial manufacturing company to use mrp systems including engineering and drafting software to take over the surfboard industry.
For instance, Solidworks and MasterCAM can work in partnership to design and build a surfboard exactly the same each time. For those of you who don't know, SolidWorks is a 3d CAD software which may be used to make a virtual model. It is able to transfer models into Ansys (my commended way to make models for analysis ) and MasterCAM. MasterCAM is one of the leading producing and robotics engineering software app used to programme computer numeric controlled (CNC) machining tools like CNC lathes and CNC mills to turn out parts from raw materials.
This technology also allows a custom surfboard design to be easily stored electronically by the shopper themselves if they so want . If they would like to adjust the design or simply remake a board that was lost, stolen, broken or just old, an identical surfboard may be made quickly .
But you might imagine the time and materials needed in the quest for finding the ideal surfboard for each surfer.
Ahh, don't fret, I have an answer for this also .
Ansys is a programme which could take the same model developed in Solidworks and investigate it for stuff like pressures . The complete version of Ansys can even inspect how liquid will flow past the shape. The difficulty with Ansys in this particular situation is that there's no way to match the precise flowing conditions that the surfer will be facing . The fashion in which a surfer adjusts their weight to maintain balance is would be difficult to replicate . These actions which could alter depending on countless factors and conditions related to the surfer. There are just too many variables that might be utilised for input that might or might not figure out how the surfboard glides over and thru the wave.
What metrics might be used to personalise a board faster ? To start with; height, weight, foot size, ability to bend the knees. A lot is occurring that can't simply be fit into a one size fits all virtual model but if the actions, muscle movements and balancing methods were investigated for hundreds of surfers you might build a surfer scale that might be mixed with the physical characteristics of a surfer to build a surfboard near to the needs and desires of the surfer. What would result is a way to experiment with cheaply and speedily made surfboards intended to determine the coveted surfboard for each surfer. Hmm, something similar to how aviation engineers really print off a flying drone for experimentation .
Imagine being able to make 1 or 2 runs on a temporary surfboard that was built in a couple of hours. The material only has to be capable of taking the beating for less than a day of surfing to determine the surfboard works as desired . If these were say foam surfboards coated in a quick drying resin they would be manufactured quickly and inexpensively. What? You would like to make a change? Build another one!
This whole process would be something that a serious surfer would be capable of using to dial in what he needs for each beach.
If nothing else, a side business selling the cheaper boards to tourists and then recycling the material for the next tourist would be a way to go.
Now that would be the job for me. Helping people go have fun in the sun.
Did you know the majority of surfboards made on the islands are still HAND MADE? That's incredible to me in consideration of the manufacturing software that's available . I believe the explanation that there is no real standardizing of how even longboard surfboards (generally utilized by the novice ) are made is perhaps because there's no standard surfer and no standard wave. Folks from all walks of life and fitness levels surf. Whether or not they surf SOUNDLY is another consideration but the goal to master the wave is the draw for many to continue coming back. There are also many alternative types of waves to think about in this water flow game. So many actually the surfing set has created an entire vernacular for describing waves. Even still it seems to me that in today's world of technology the surfing business could benefit from the implementation of engineering standards and manufacturing automation.
Here are one or two ideas that I have for an entrepreneurial manufacturing company to use mrp systems including engineering and drafting software to take over the surfboard industry.
For instance, Solidworks and MasterCAM can work in partnership to design and build a surfboard exactly the same each time. For those of you who don't know, SolidWorks is a 3d CAD software which may be used to make a virtual model. It is able to transfer models into Ansys (my commended way to make models for analysis ) and MasterCAM. MasterCAM is one of the leading producing and robotics engineering software app used to programme computer numeric controlled (CNC) machining tools like CNC lathes and CNC mills to turn out parts from raw materials.
This technology also allows a custom surfboard design to be easily stored electronically by the shopper themselves if they so want . If they would like to adjust the design or simply remake a board that was lost, stolen, broken or just old, an identical surfboard may be made quickly .
But you might imagine the time and materials needed in the quest for finding the ideal surfboard for each surfer.
Ahh, don't fret, I have an answer for this also .
Ansys is a programme which could take the same model developed in Solidworks and investigate it for stuff like pressures . The complete version of Ansys can even inspect how liquid will flow past the shape. The difficulty with Ansys in this particular situation is that there's no way to match the precise flowing conditions that the surfer will be facing . The fashion in which a surfer adjusts their weight to maintain balance is would be difficult to replicate . These actions which could alter depending on countless factors and conditions related to the surfer. There are just too many variables that might be utilised for input that might or might not figure out how the surfboard glides over and thru the wave.
What metrics might be used to personalise a board faster ? To start with; height, weight, foot size, ability to bend the knees. A lot is occurring that can't simply be fit into a one size fits all virtual model but if the actions, muscle movements and balancing methods were investigated for hundreds of surfers you might build a surfer scale that might be mixed with the physical characteristics of a surfer to build a surfboard near to the needs and desires of the surfer. What would result is a way to experiment with cheaply and speedily made surfboards intended to determine the coveted surfboard for each surfer. Hmm, something similar to how aviation engineers really print off a flying drone for experimentation .
Imagine being able to make 1 or 2 runs on a temporary surfboard that was built in a couple of hours. The material only has to be capable of taking the beating for less than a day of surfing to determine the surfboard works as desired . If these were say foam surfboards coated in a quick drying resin they would be manufactured quickly and inexpensively. What? You would like to make a change? Build another one!
This whole process would be something that a serious surfer would be capable of using to dial in what he needs for each beach.
If nothing else, a side business selling the cheaper boards to tourists and then recycling the material for the next tourist would be a way to go.
Now that would be the job for me. Helping people go have fun in the sun.
About the Author:
Created by David Krantz Industry Director - Engineering at UsersUnite. David's blog will discuss issues and reports related to manufacturing software. If you have a subject that you wish to see David write about please visti us at UsersUnite and BE HEARD!
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