The popular manufacturer of balls Wilson has presented Wilson Airlessthe first airless basketball of the world. You can see it in the opening video of the news.
Wilson is the official ball supplier of the NBA, so we are talking about the elite of the basketballs.
Wilson Airless is his prototype airless basketballwhich he presented at the break of the dunk contest of the recent All-Star of the NBA. In the video we can see the player KJ Martin dribbling this ball without air, with physics that seem similar to those of the classic leather ball.
Wilson Airless, the first airless basketball
This very special ball follows the same principles as those of the airless wheels. Has been 3d printed one piece. The key is in the hardness and elasticity of the materials.
The surface of the ball is made up of hexagonal holes what let the air pass.
It is made with a bed of white powder and a laser that engraves the hexagonal design of the ball in the dust. It is a process in which you have to carefully remove the dust as the ball is printed.
Since it was white in color, they dipped it into a dyeing machine to paint it black, which is more aggressive and aesthetic.
To print the first airless basketball, Wilson resorted to EOSa 3D printing solutions company that typically works for the space and medical industries.
They had to do quite a few tests ye print a few balls so that the boat on the ground was correct.
And although in the video it seems to bounce well, there are still many adjustments to be madeso Wilson Airless It won’t go on sale any time soon, although they are fully intent on marketing it.
But there are still issues to be resolved such as the weight, which is different from that of a conventional ball, and influences the shooting angle. Also the rebound in the hoop and on the backboardy air resistance when shooting for a basket, which is smaller than a normal ball, as it has holes.
Wilson Airless is the first airless basketball of the world. Its advantages are that it never punctures, it does not have to be inflated from time to time, and it is cheaper and more ecological to manufacture.
