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Making the perfect game possible
Bringing a revolutionary ball glove out of development and onto the diamond
The challenge
Revolutionizing the baseball glove
The baseball glove is one of the most important pieces of equipment in the game, but its core technology has been slow to change. Armed with a mission to revolutionize ball gloves, Rawlings developed the REV1X™, a glove that leverages the Carbon Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) process to speed up reaction times and improve gameplay.
Rawlings worked with Carbon to replace traditional foam or wool parts in the glove’s thumb and pinky with latticed pieces that are lighter and thinner using Carbon FPU 50 material. The REV1X lattices are tuned with variable stiffness that conforms to the player’s hand, improving ball control. Unlike traditional gloves, the REV1X is ready for gameplay immediately, and it’s more durable and long-lasting. Once Rawlings perfected the design for the REV1X, they turned to Fast Radius to scale to production while preserving their exacting performance standards.
THE PLAN
Ramping up to industrial-grade additive production
Fast Radius met Rawlings’ needs with expansive production capacity and skilled engineers who were able to adjust the inserts for manufacturability. Well-versed in the unique challenges of printing lattice structures, the experts at Fast Radius developed a solution to make sure the parts printed reliably every time.
Working closely with Rawlings, Fast Radius quickly built a comprehensive plan for manufacturing the inserts. Every piece of information needed to make the parts — from the design files, to custom post-processing methods, to fulfillment instructions — is stored in a build package in the Fast Radius Cloud Manufacturing Platform™ so the parts can be made perfectly today, next week, next year, and beyond.
The Fast Radius build package
Fast Radius used its Cloud Manufacturing Platform to power Rawlings’ entire project from initial design validation through quality, production, and fulfillment.
Making it possible
Unrivaled expertise and close collaboration
Scalable infrastructure
Fast Radius has the large fleet of Carbon printers and the team of expert manufacturing technicians that Rawlings needed to launch and maintain ongoing production — with the option to scale up or down to match demand.
Repeatable, reliable parts
Every aspect of the production process for the REV1X is stored in a build package in the Fast Radius Cloud Manufacturing Platform™ to ensure parts can be made reliably anywhere and any time.
Custom solutions
Rawlings determined that FPU 50, an impact, abrasion, and fatigue resistant semi-rigid material, was the ideal material for the inserts. However, FPU 50 can be challenging to post-process. Fast Radius dialed in the printing process and developed custom post-processing methods to preserve the tight tolerances needed for the intricate lattice structures. Ultimately, they improved part yield by more than 4x from initial tests.
Frictionless partnership
Throughout the product launch process, Fast Radius worked closely with Rawlings to make sure the glove inserts met their high standards for quality. The two teams also worked together to meet Rawlings’ price and timing requirements.
Expedited speed to market
The Fast Radius team made it easy for Rawlings to test, iterate, and move into production immediately.
Francisco Lindor image courtesy of Rawlings
With this project, speed was key. Fast Radius went above and beyond to hit our deadlines and deliver the high-quality, consistent parts our athletes expect.
Fast Radius – Carbon Partnership
As a premiere member of the Carbon Production Network, Fast Radius has the largest fleet of public-facing Carbon DLS printers in North America. The experts at Fast Radius have vast experience with the DLS platform and a close working relationship with Carbon that ensures Fast Radius is always up to date with the latest in Carbon technology and materials.
Our award-winning microfactories
Fast Radius microfactories have been recognized as among the most innovative manufacturing facilities in the world by the World Economic Forum.
Inside the REV1X
THE RESULTS
A durable, lightweight, responsive glove that gives players an edge
Fast Radius provided the partnership Rawlings needed to get the REV1X onto the hands of baseball players everywhere. The REV1X build package, stored in the Fast Radius Cloud Manufacturing Platform, will allow Fast Radius to scale production for ongoing sales of the glove. For Rawlings and the sporting goods industry, this project heralds a new era of making new things possible with Cloud Manufacturing.
Consistency was the biggest challenge that we saw when making these components. Fast Radius really knew what needed to be done to ensure that we were getting a consistent, accurate product print after print.
Part production with the Fast Radius Cloud Manufacturing Platform
Our Cloud Manufacturing Platform powers more than just additive manufacturing. We help customers knock their projects out of the park with a wide range of manufacturing methods. Learn more about our capabilities:
