3D Printing Goes to the Big Game by Carlie Wagner By strategically combining multiple materials and creating a custom fi t from a 3D scan, a 3D printed brace gave Thomas Davis the chance to bounce back from injury for this year’s Super Bowl. Super Bowl 50 is in the books and, despite some sad Panther’s fans at the 4D-NC offi ce, the game did not disappoint. Along with all of the typical fanfare, halftime shows, and commercials, this year’s game also gave us a number of brand-new Super Bowl records. Peyton Manning became the oldest quarterback to ever play in the Super Bowl, as well as the oldest player to win it, and the only quarterback to win the Super Bowl while playing for two different teams. Jordan Norwood’s impressive 61-yard punt return clocks in at the longest in Super Bowl history. There were also a couple of not-so-glamorous records, including the most total sacks (12) and the fewest total yards by a winning team (194). For CAD enthusiasts, however, the most exciting record just may be the fact that this year’s Super Bowl also marked the fi rst time that a 3D print made it to NFL primetime. The Injury The tale of the 3D printed brace began during the second quarter of the NFC Championship game. While tackling Arizona Cardinal’s tight end Darren Fells, Panther’s linebacker Thomas Davis’ arm was caught at an odd angle. Davis later 6 www.cadlearning.com reported that he knew immediately his arm was broken. This instinct was confi rmed when X-rays showed a broken ulna bone in Davis’ forearm. An integral part of the Carolina defense, Davis vowed that, despite the fact that the injury typically takes six weeks to recover from, he would return in just two weeks to play in the biggest game of his career – the 2016 Super Bowl. A 3D Printed Solution Soon after Davis underwent surgery, the Panthers contacted Whiteclouds, the country’s largest full-color 3D printing facility, to enquire about a 3D printed brace. Printing a brace for one of the most-watched sporting events in the world provided the designers at Whiteclouds some unique challenges. In order to make sure that the brace suited Davis’ needs, Whiteclouds had to get the brace to him as quickly as possible. This meant that the designers had to eliminate much of the testing and iterating process that they normally underwent. Working in a CAD program from a 3D scan of Davis’ arm, the designers managed to click Print after just eight hours of design time. The print itself took about 30 hours.