Blueprint Surf on Creating 3D Printed, Eco-Friendly Surfboards

Blue waves, beaches, freedom – many things come to mind when thinking about surfing, but one thing that does not is the environmental impact of the sport. However, despite expectations to the contrary, surfboards are far from being eco-friendly, with one typically-made model emitting at least 600lbs of CO2 throughout its lifespan and needing to be replaced regularly (two to three times a year). Thus putting a damper on the sport which both relies on the ocean and could be contributing to its destruction. Luckily, companies are coming up with ways to create better, greener surfboards, including through additive manufacturing. Take Blueprint Surf for example. The Portland, Maine-based startup has uses 3D printing to create incredible that they describe as “as beautiful as the Acadia coast, as durable as a Downeast lobster boat, and fun enough be the board you choose when your favorite break is pumping,” while still being eco-friendly thanks to the use of 3D printing and recycled materials. We spoke with one of the co-founders to learn more!

3DN: Could you introduce yourself and Blueprint Surf?

My name is Luke Diehl, and I’ve been 3D printing for about a decade. My interest in 3D printing started when I learned that laser sintering could be used to make titanium orthopedic implants. I co-founded one of the first companies to make 3D printed implants for spine surgery, and have been using 3D printers frequently since then.

(Left) Luke Diehl with a finished 3D printed surfboard from Blueprint Surf; (right) the 3D printed core

Meanwhile, Blueprint Surf was started a couple of years ago when Mike Ballin and I were going out on the North Atlantic on foam boards. We realized that although we loved them, they were terrible for the environment and had a number of other flaws. Blueprint Surf’s mission is to build beautiful, high performance surfboards that are less environmentally harmful than traditional foam surfboards.