After the production of 3D printed duffle bags by Nike, the sports industry has been taken by storm by the 3D printing industry. The newest usage of 3D printing in sports is the creation of sports accessories and to top the list is the sports of table tennis.

Airball is a 3D printed squeezable table tennis ball or it is a ping pong ball that will not break if someone steps on it. There are so many videos on YouTube that elaborately describe the various methods by which a ping pong ball can be fixed. To enlighten you a bit more about these notorious balls is that they are prone to accidents such as crushing which is usually done by steeping on them. This new Airball will fix all such problems.

A German design studio by the name of Philipp Günther Design came up with this interesting idea of Airball. By the looks of it, it definitely looks like a miniature version of the Epcot center. It does not have continuous round shape instead it has opening all around the surface which resembles a mesh. The complex shape of the ball was achieved with the help of 3D printing.

The studio is selling the product through a crowd-funding site instead of releasing the 3D plans. At a hefty price of $27 a pack which consists of three AirBalls can be bought, which is quite expensive compared to the traditional ping- pong balls.

The AirBall is surely a kid friendly choice unless some unforeseen event like a dog chewing up the ball doesn’t take place; the ball will do just fine!

Image Credit: Philipp Günther Design (philippguenther.de)