BMW supports German national bobsleigh team

The BMW Group has opted to contribute its engineering expertise and 3D printing processes to assist the German bobsleigh national team.

Where conventional bobsleigh shoes have defined rows of nails permanently attached to the toe area which mean that the shoes get thrown out once the nails have worn out, the shoes which BMW and the German Bobsleigh, Luge, and Skeleton Federation are working on will feature threads from which screw spikes are used to attach spike plates. It is on these spike plates that spike nails can then be distributed without restriction.

BMW states that the new design will allow athletes to use a wide design of show styles, while the material and geometry of the plate as well as the placement of the spike nails, can be used to vary the rigidity and the power transmission to the ice, ensuring better acceleration than shoes equipped with standard spikes.

The firm states that its Additive Manufacturing Centre is well equipped to build the necessary customised spike plates for each athlete and that manufacturing special spike plates for different weather and ice conditions are also possible. The firm has also tested a variety of alloys and geometries - just like in automotive research and development - before settling in on the current design. BMW expects to have the shoes ready to compete in by the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.