VOA慢速英语2018--3D打印如何帮助美国队赢得金牌

How 3D Printing Helped Team USA Go for Gold

The United States won its first Olympic medal in a men’s luge singles event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Chris Mazdzer won a silver medal last week – equaling the best finish ever for any member of the U.S. Olympic luge team. In the past, American Olympians won bronze and silver medals in women’s singles and men’s doubles luge.

Over the years, German and Austrian teams have dominated² the sport. When those teams lost, other European nations won.

In the luge, competitors lie flat, feet first, on a small sled. They can travel around an icy track at speeds up to 140 kilometers an hour. The riders control the sled’s speed by changing the position of their feet or by moving their shoulders.

So why did Team USA Luge win a medal at the PyeongChang Olympics?

Most credit must go to Chris Mazdzer himself. The American said his win was a product of 16 years of preparation and intense training. His teammate and training partner Taylor Morris called him “an animal” whose years of hard work clearly paid off in the end.

But another reason for Mazdzer’s success could have been the 3-D printer technology, which his team used to make its equipment. The term 3-D is short for three dimensional -- meaning an object with length, width and height.

In 3-D printing, 3-D models are first created as files, or documents, on a computer. The printer then uses a substance like plastic or metal to create physical objects. The process involves making one layer of material at a time until the objects reach full form.

The USA Luge team worked with an American company called Stratasys on the design and manufacturing process for the sleds.

First, the company made a scan³, or image, of the body of every member of the luge team. Then, 3-D printing technology was used to create tools for making molds in the shape of Olympians on top of a sled.

The process of designing and tooling sled parts is highly complex and can take several weeks. Officials from USA Luge say 3-D printing can greatly simplify the process, speeding up production of parts to within hours.

Gordy Sheer⁴ is the marketing⁵ director for USA Luge. He says 3-D printing works well for making last-minute changes that require exactness.

"As we learn more about aerodynamics and optimizing⁶ our designs, it's nice to be able to have the ability to make those changes quickly," Sheer said.

The head of technical programs for USA Luge, Jon Owen, says the use of 3-D printing has made the team more competitive⁷. It helps the team “continuously adjust designs and run them on the track much faster than traditional processes,” he said. He added that the technology also provides a way to perfectly⁸ fit each rider to the sled, while cutting production time and costs.

Other sports represented at the 2018 Olympics have used 3-D printing to improve their equipment.

Snowboard maker⁹ CAPiTA used 3-D printers to build stronger sidewalls for its snowboards. The process, called FUS3D, connects a plastic sidewall to the wooden center of the board. The technology even won a product of the year award from an international sports organization.

3-D printing company Materialise makes form-fitted insides for ski boots. It uses a scan of a person’s foot to produce perfectly fit boot inserts within a matter of minutes.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

dominate¹ – v. to have power or control over someone or something

track – n. an area set aside for racing¹⁰

sled – n. small steerable¹¹ vehicle used for coasting down snow-covered hills or down a track

mold – n. container used to give its shape to something that is poured or pressed into it

aerodynamics – n. a science that studies the movement of air and the way objects move through air

optimize¹² – v. make (something) as good or as effective as possible

adjust – v. to make a small change to something

fit – v. to be in agreement with; to be in the exact size or shape of something

boot – n. a strong shoe that covers your foot and part of your leg

1 dominate   

v.支配，统治，高出，俯视，在...中占首地位

参考例句：

• They had the ambition to dominate this small country.他们有控制这个小国的野心。
• The strong usually dominate over the weak.强者常常支配弱者。

2 dominated   

受控的 -tive

参考例句：

• As a child he was dominated by his father. 他小时候由父亲主宰一切。
• His personality dominated over the other members of the committee. 他的人格影响委员会的其他成员。

3 scan   

n.审视，浏览，扫描，押韵，细查；vt.细看，浏览，扫描，详细调查，信件扫描（指BBS处理直递邮件或会议邮件时，对所有或特定信区做检查的动作）

参考例句：

• The first scan was bad, so I had to do it again.第一次扫描不好，所以我得重做。
• A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.扫描可以确定胎儿在子宮中的位置。

4 sheer   

adj.绝对的，全然的，峻峭的；v.躲开，躲避，使...避开； adv.完全，全然，峻峭

参考例句：

• He achieved his aim by sheer strength of will.他纯粹靠意志力达到了目的。
• I guess It'sheer waste of time arguing about it.看来争论这件事纯粹是浪费时间。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 optimizing   

v.使最优化，使尽可能有效( optimize的现在分词 )；最佳化；寻优

参考例句：

• This model may be classified as either an optimizing model or simulation model. 这个模型可分为最佳化模型或模拟模型。 来自辞典例句
• Need to design crossover operator rationally while optimizing ANN. 优化网络需要合理设计交叉算子。 来自互联网

7 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

8 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

9 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

10 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

11 steerable   

可驾驶的，易操纵的；可控

参考例句：

• The MBHW04 is the first well using geometry steerable drilling technology in China. 新疆油田MBHW04水平井是国内第一口使用地质导向钻井技术的井。 来自互联网

12 optimize   

v.使优化 [=optimise]

参考例句：

• We should optimize the composition of the Standing Committees.优化人大常委会组成人员的结构。
• We should optimize our import mix and focus on bringing in advanced technology and key equipment.优化进口结构，着重引进先进技术和关键设备。