The work of Junior Achievement of Maine is to provide work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills to students who are the next generation of professionals here in Maine.
It was a natural fit for the team at Amplify Additive to partner with Junior Achievement of Maine for its Annual Golf Tournament 2021 as the Golf Gift Sponsor.
The Amplify team set about making a unique, custom-printed titanium putter that showcased the capacity of 3D metal printing and the capability of a group of driven designers and engineers. Amplify Additive, Inc. embodies the mission of organizations like Junior Achievement of Maine and brings to life how business professionals can work and succeed in a collaborative, entrepreneurial environment.
Michelle Anderson, President of Junior Achievement of Maine, stated: “We are so grateful for the support from Amplify Additive to move Junior Achievement of Maine’s mission forward. Events like our Golf Classic help raise the necessary awareness and funds to empower Maine’s young people to own their future success. Business partnerships help us bridge education and workforce together to provide K-12th grade kids with important workforce readiness skills needed to thrive.”
The design for the putter began as a collaborative effort between Amplify Additive and the golfing community. The golf industry has recently used metal 3D printing, and this project was an opportunity for the Amplify team to put its skills to use in a recreational field.
Andre Clement, designer at Amplify Additive, leveraged state-of-the-art software and technology to begin the putter’s design. Clement consulted with Ray DiMestico, a Mechanical Engineer and scratch golf player with a lifelong passion for golf equipment. DiMestico shared his design and engineering knowledge of golf clubs to produce a high-performance putter for the event that would both look and feel great.
Clement states: “The focus of the design was around good weight distribution and the center of gravity needed in a putter head. We then built out the form with those constraints to design a unique and functional putter.”
The putter showcases a signature design, complete with guidelines, a v-shaped groove, and a scalloped edge. The team set about creating the first iterations of the putter using 3D printing with plastic and printed the final design in metal using electron beam melting. They finished it with a standard putter shaft and grip.
Meghan Faulkner, the winner of the putter at the Junior Achievement Golf Tournament, shared her feedback with the design team: “I have used it and I love it. The weight and length are perfect for me. It has the V from the tail to guide; perhaps it could add a more prominent guideline on top of the putter. Otherwise, I have had a lot of comments on it and am so blessed to have won it and have a unique club to call my own.” The team welcomed her feedback and plans to continue to perfect the design to share with golf enthusiasts in the future.
Brian McLaughlin, Amplify’s Founder and CEO, and Jeff Laniewski, VP of Operations, added: “We recognize the importance of organizations like Junior Achievement of Maine as a critical part of entrepreneurship and job development. We hope that we can show students what opportunities are available to them and how they can create unique career pathways in the Design and Engineering fields.”
Want to learn more about partnering with Amplify Additive?
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