Feb 22, 2018 | By Benedict
Frenchman Martin Fourcade, winner of five biathlon gold medals at the Winter Olympics, has been shooting his way to victory using a rifle made with 3D printing technology. The rifle was developed by Athletics 3D – Olympics & Fitting and prototyped on a Zortrax 3D printer.
Martin Fourcade shooting his way to victory and Olympic history
(Image: Christian Bier)
The biathlon is an unusual sport: its two elements, cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, seem to demand almost entirely different skill sets. But perhaps that’s why so many people find the sport so interesting: it has been contested at the Winter Olympics in various forms for almost a century.
Last Wednesday, the men’s biathlon 12.5 km pursuit was won by Frenchman Martin Fourcade, whose rifle was made using additive manufacturing technology. It was a great advert for 3D printing: Fourcade was the only contestant to register a flawless final shooting round, and has also won four other gold medals during the huge sporting event.
This unique biathlon rifle was designed by Athletics 3D – Olympics & Fitting, a French company founded by Clément Jacquelin, himself a former biathlon champion. Jacquelin’s company used a Zortrax M200 3D printer to prototype the rifle in Zortrax’s Z-ABS material.
Clément Jacquelin, a former biathlon champion, designed Fourcade's rifle
“We have made several 3D printed prototypes,” Jacquelin said. “Zortrax Ecosystem did a great job prototyping the thing. We could get the feel right, the dimensions, the ergonomics.”
All the 3D printed models of the gun were tested by Jacquelin himself, whose experience in the sport allowed him to determine which iterations were most suitable for the Winter Olympics. When the design was finalized, it was sent to a third-party manufacturer for fabrication.
“We work with the world’s leading manufacturers specializing in high-end sports equipment,” Jacquelin said. “It was their job to build the stock with intended, end-use materials.”
The podium finishers after Fourcade, who is now France’s most successful Olympian of all time with five victories, were Sweden’s Sebastian Samuelsson and Germany’s Benedikt Doll.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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