慢速英语 | 3D打印如何帮助美国队长赢得金牌
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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 dominated 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’ssuccess 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 scan, 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 Sheer is the marketing 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 optimizing 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 competitive. 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 perfectly 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 maker 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.
The United States won its first Olympic medal in a men’s luge singles event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
美国队在平昌冬奥会男子单人比赛中赢得首枚奥运奖牌。
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.
上周，克里斯·马兹泽尔赢得了一枚银牌 - 相当于美国奥林匹克雪橇队最佳成绩。过去，美国奥运选手赢得过女子单滑和男子双滑的铜牌和银牌。
Over the years, German and Austrian teams have dominated the sport. When those teams lost, other European nations won.
多年来，德国队和奥地利队一直主导着这项运动。如果这些球队输了，那就是其他欧洲国家赢了。
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.
雪橇比赛中，选手平躺着，脚先放在小雪橇上。他们可以以每小时140公里的速度在冰冷的赛道上滑行。骑手通过改变脚的位置或移动肩膀来控制雪橇的速度。
So why did Team USA Luge win a medal at the PyeongChang Olympics?
为什么美国队队员在平昌奥运会上能够获得奖牌呢？
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.
大部分要归功于由克里斯·马兹泽尔本人。美国人表示，他的胜利是因为他16年的准备和紧张的训练。他的队友和训练伙伴泰勒·莫里斯称他为“一只动物”，他的多年努力工作显然得到了回报。
But another reason for Mazdzer’ssuccess 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.
但马兹泽尔成功的另一个原因可能是由他的团队运用了3D打印技术。术语3D是三维的简称 - 意思是具有长度，宽度和高度的物体。
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.
在3D打印中，3D模型首先作为文件或文档在计算机上创建。打印机使用塑料或金属等物质来创建物理对象。该过程包括一次制作一层材料，直到对象制作完整。
The USA Luge team worked with an American company called Stratasys on the design and manufacturing process for the sleds.
美国雪橇团队与一家名为斯川塔斯的美国公司合作开发雪橇的设计和制造流程。
First, the company made a scan, 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.
首先，该公司对雪橇队每个成员的身体进行了扫描。然后，3D打印技术被用于制造用于雪橇顶部奥林匹克人形状的模具的工具。
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.
设计和加工雪橇零件的过程非常复杂，可能需要几周的时间。来自美国雪橇队的官员表示，3D打印可以大大简化工艺流程，在几小时内便能生产出零件。
Gordy Sheer is the marketing director for USA Luge. He says 3-D printing works well for making last-minute changes that require exactness.
戈迪·希尔是美国雪橇的营销总监。他表示，3D打印非常适合追求精确的最后一刻更改。
As we learn more about aerodynamics and optimizing our designs, it’s nice to be able to have the ability to make those changes quickly, Sheer said.
希尔说：“当我们更多地了解空气动力学和优化我们的设计时，能够很好地迅速做出这些改变。”
The head of technical programs for USA Luge, Jon Owen, says the use of 3-D printing has made the team more competitive. 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 perfectly fit each rider to the sled, while cutting production time and costs.
美国雪橇公司的技术项目负责人乔恩·欧文说，使用3D打印技术使团队更具竞争力。他说，这有助于团队“不断调整设计并在赛道上更快地运行它们”。他补充说，这项技术还提供了一种方法，使每个骑手都能够完美地适应雪橇，同时减少生产时间和成本。
Other sports represented at the 2018 Olympics have used 3-D printing to improve their equipment.
其他以2018年奥运会为代表的体育运动已经使用3D打印技术来改善他们的设备。
Snowboard maker 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.
滑雪板制造商CAPiTA使用3D打印机为其滑雪板打造更强的侧壁。这个过程称为FUS3D，它将塑料侧壁连接到木板的木制中心。该技术甚至赢得了国际体育组织颁发的年度产品奖。
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.
三维印刷公司Materialise为滑雪靴提供了形状匹配的内部。它使用人脚扫描在几分钟内完成适合的引导插入。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩报道