Cobra are no strangers when it comes to 3D printing in golf clubs, as they became the first company to introduce a 3D printed putter in 2020 before adding a full range of the putters in 2021.
Now they have added the new Limit3d irons, which the brand say are the world's first set of commercially available 3D printed steel irons.
To apply this technology to iron design, Cobra have teamed up with nTop, a leader in computational design software who help companies create designs with the benefits of additive manufacturing.
The goal was to create a compact player's blade profile, offering the kind of forgiveness that you'd expect from a game-improvement club but with the feel of a forged iron. Cobra say that the new Limit3d irons are an industry first in both performance and manufacturing.
"Cobra is always looking for meaningful ways to use new technology to create superior products and performance. nTop's computational design tools integrated with 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allowed us to create an incredible new design that looks and feels like a forged blade but performs like a larger, game-improvement iron. No one has done this before, and we're excited to introduce these unique irons to the world."
Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation & AI, Cobra Golf.
In the past, designing an iron with added forgiveness meant that you'd have to sacrifice the look and the feel of the iron, by making it larger in profile. Cobra set out to produce the Limit3d irons which had the shape and feel of a compact blade as desired by better players, but with added forgiveness that aspirational golfers need - something which is unachievable using traditional casting or forging methods.
The irons have a slightly smaller profile than the Cobra King Tour iron, and feature a fully 3D printed 316L stainless steel body with an internal lattice structure. This allows 33% of the overall clubhead weight to be repositioned, without sacrificing any strength.
The design of these irons, which is only possible using 3D printing, allows for up to 100g of tungsten to be positioned in the heel and toe areas of the head, creating a low CG, high MOI for a club of that size and shape.
This produces a compact blade shape with low CG location, high forgiveness and distance closer to Cobra's more forgiving King Forged Tec or Forged Tec X irons.
Another benefit of using the nTop design software, plus the additive manufacturing, is the speed with which Cobra engineers were able to create and test prototypes - up to two times faster than it has been in the past.
The faster process also gave Cobra's R&D team the chance to test a variety of lattice designs to produce the best weight distribution and acoustics, producing an iron that focuses on looks, performance and a soft feel.
"Our new limited-edition 3D Printed irons represent Cobra's dedication to pushing performance and technology to the limits. These incredible new irons are the most significant technological advancement to happen to the category in the past 20 years and offer a look into the future of golf club design and performance."
Jose Miraflor, Vice President of Product Architecture, Cobra Golf.
There are only 500 sets of Limit3d 3D printed irons available worldwide, and they will be available for custom order only from 7th June in the UK.
As ultra-premium limited edition irons, the Limit3d irons will have an RRP of £2499 for a 4-PW set, along with a wide selection of aftermarket shafts and grips.
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