Cheetah 3D-Printed Replacement Washers for Gymnastic Equipment

Application: Washers for gymnastic equipment
Material used: Cheetah^® 3D Printer Filament
Industry: Sports

Cody Umberger, Vice President of North Stars Gymnastics in Boonton, New Jersey, is a 3D printing enthusiast who is always eager to share his concepts with the NinjaTek team. Cody’s latest design uses Cheetah TPU filament to replace worn-out washers on gymnastics equipment.

Acetal washers are typically used in the mounting of women’s uneven bars. They act as a spacer at the connection point between the vertical post and the horizontal bar. They fill a small gap and prevent metal-on-metal grinding.

The problem is they don’t last that long. The constant torque of the bar during use grinds and flattens out the acetal washers. The bar then tends to rotate and squeak as the plastic washers wear thin.

A perfect replacement for these parts are washers made from Cheetah 3D Printer Filament. Cody keeps several Cheetah washers of various thicknesses handy to fill different sized gaps on the various bar sets in the gym.

“The industrial-grade strength of the Cheetah TPU is very apparent! I have backup washers but it doesn’t look like I’ll need them anytime soon.”

After several months of use, the 3D-printed washers still look brand new. The slight compression with the TPU material allows the washers to squeeze into different sized gaps, eliminating noise and any twisting with the bar during use.

“The industrial-grade strength of the Cheetah TPU is very apparent! I have several backup washers printed but it doesn’t look like I will need to use them anytime soon,” says Umberger.

Aside from saving money on replacement parts, North Stars is very excited to be able to incorporate this cutting-edge 3D printing technology into their universally recognized gymnastics program. You can visit them online at NorthStarsGymnastics.com.