When your sports equipment fits you like a glove, you know it right away. This is undoubtedly true in biathlon. A rifle is not just a piece of equipment, but an extension of the body. And it was precisely this requirement that junior biathlete František Jelínek came to CXI TUL with: he wanted a custom-made stock. Lighter, precisely shaped for his physique and grip, without compromise.
Standard biathlon stocks are still often made the old-fashioned way – by a woodcarver. However, according to František, this is a very long and demanding process. So he tried a different approach. He took his existing stock, customized it on the computer, and had it manufactured using modern technology.
He came to CXI TUL with this idea. In the 3D printing department, we helped him turn his design into reality and printed the stock.
František did not wait for a woodcarver
František designed the stock himself. „I worked in Catia. It’s my graduation project,“ he explains, adding that the software was available to him as part of his studies at a high school in Mladá Boleslav. He based his design on an existing stock, which he modified in the program to the dimensions he thought would suit him.
For František, it was about support and gaining experience with the real-world use of 3D printing and custom manufacturing. But it is also an example of what we at CXI TUL commonly do in the field of 3D printing: piece production, prototypes, custom modifications, functional parts, and work with requirements where millimeters matter.
Simply put, when you need to make something that „can’t be bought“ and it has to work, we can deliver a solution – from consultation and production preparation to the actual printing and modifications.
Rigorous testing after the season
What will happen next with the 3D-printed stock? That will be revealed by tests after the season, when there will be time to change the material and test how the new design performs in practice.
But it’s too early to draw conclusions. „I can’t just change the material during the season. I’ll start testing when the winter season is over,“ says the bronze medalist in the junior relay at the Biathlon World Championships.
If it works, interest may grow
Digital design, 3D printing, and sports reality in one line. At CXI TUL, we helped turn František’s design into a finished part and arranged for the stock to be produced on a 3D printer. The results will only be revealed after the season, when he starts testing the new design. And if the part proves itself, all athletes from the junior biathlon club will have their stocks printed by us.
