Climbing, among other outdoor activities, are means to make people understand the importance of conserving our natural spaces and eco-systems, especially among new generations.

In this project, we worked with colleagues at Star Wall Climbing Park Roma to develop and produce one of the world's first 3D printed climbing hold.

The material used is PLA, which is much more eco-friendly than the current resins used to produce holds.

The result

The challenge for this product has been significant: climbing holds have a specific surface grain that mimics the real rock, something hard to achieve by conventional fused filament 3D printers. More complex printing technologies would render the product economically nonviable.

After much research, we were able to innovate on the strong sides of 3D printing: we developed a hold with multi prehensions that cannot be produced on via the normal silicone mold / resin pouring method.