Skateboard Part 1: Building Durable 3D‑Printed Wheels

For anyone curious about the intersection of skateboarding and additive manufacturing, the Braille Skateboarding YouTube channel offers a compelling showcase. Their “You Make It We Skate It” playlist demonstrates how they take arbitrary objects sent to them and test them on the board—providing real‑world performance data.

Three iterations of 3D‑printed wheels have already been trialed. The first, printed from standard PLA, shattered under load. The second, made from a TPU‑like filament, behaved like a flat tire. The third, a densely infilled TPU variant, performed better but still deformed more than a conventional wheel.

Motivated by these results, we explored a more robust material combination: nylon reinforced with Kevlar. Nylon offers flexibility while Kevlar delivers abrasion resistance. We fabricated two prototypes that differed only in infill density and surface texture—one with a textured finish to reduce slipperiness and one with less Kevlar to evaluate deformation.

Both prototypes endured a series of real‑world tests: a spin‑out in a parking lot and an ollie to simulate high‑impact, abrasive conditions. Despite the heat (~90 °F), the only failure was a delamination of the nylon outer layer under extreme temperature; the Kevlar core remained intact, and no fractures occurred.

Overall, the wheels exhibited a firmness comparable to standard polyurethane wheels—neither too soft nor too slick. While further refinement could enhance durability and shape retention, the first prototype demonstrates that a nylon‑Kevlar composite can meet the demands of skateboarding.

Stay tuned for future updates on high‑strength 3D‑printed skateboard components. In the meantime, download the STL file for your own custom wheels: StreetWheel.stl.