3D printing powers elite sport at Glasgow 2026

As the 2026 Commonwealth Games unfolds in Glasgow, vital performance technology may be almost invisible: hidden inside a handlebar, beneath a swimming cap or within an adapted grip made precisely for one athlete.

Additive Manufacturing UK (AMUK) says elite sport is one of the clearest proving grounds for additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing. From Formula 1 and track cycling to swimming and para-sport, AM allows engineers to remove weight, create aerodynamic forms, integrate internal lattice structures and manufacture individualised components without expensive tooling.

British cycling programmes have used additively manufactured cranks, seatposts, handlebars and fittings to pursue greater stiffness, improved airflow and rider-specific fit. Formula 1 teams use the technology to accelerate aerodynamic development, produce tooling and create functional parts at racing pace.

"Elite sport shows why additive manufacturing has moved far beyond a prototyping niche. When fractions of a second matter, engineers need lighter parts, faster design iteration and geometries that conventional manufacturing cannot easily deliver. Those same capabilities are strengthening production, supply chains and innovation across UK industry. Sport makes the benefits visible, but the industrial opportunity is much bigger," said Joshua Dugdale, head of AMUK.

The impact is especially powerful in para-sport, where equipment can be built around an athlete’s anatomy, movement and ergonomic requirements. AMUK member company 76 Additive designed and manufactured a combined grip and computer mount for British paratriathlete Claire Cashmore, used at Tokyo 2020. It has also produced lattice-structured aero bars for Drag2Zero, used by Britain’s Olympic gold medal-winning triathlon mixed relay team, and the EZ Gains Hydroglide, a swimming aid manufactured from rigid Multi Jet Fusion nylon and elastomer lattice Carbon DLS parts.

"Additive manufacturing lets us start with the athlete and the performance problem, rather than the limitations of a mould or cutting tool. Whether it is Claire Cashmore’s adapted grip, an aerodynamic cycling component or a hydrodynamic swimming product, we can refine fit, stiffness, weight and function rapidly, then manufacture the finished component repeatably. That is not novelty 3D printing; it is practical, high-performance production," stated Rob Johnson, founder and owner of 76 Additive. 

AMUK is encouraging spectators to look more closely during Glasgow 2026. Behind the medals and records, the decisive engineering advantage may be a component-built layer by layer.

additivemanufacturinguk.org.uk