found this on surfersvillage this morning!
Global surfboard industry revolutionized by new APS 3000
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 08 April 2004: - - Australian owned Surf Management Systems, has released a revolutionary surfboard shaping machine which is now available for international sale.
Utilizing new technology and user-friendly software solutions derived from years of development, the APS 3000 boasts the ability to produce close to finished surfboard shapes while still matching current production times.
Before the introduction of the APS 3000, shaping machines have only been able to produce shapes at the rate of four surfboards per hour with all incomplete shapes requiring additional and costly hand finishing. Now, with the APS 3000 comes the ability to equal this rate while performing technical cutting and finishing techniques with ultimate precision that result in a shape almost ready to fiberglass.
The APS 3000 boasts cutting features such as full-rail cutting with tucked edges, single and double concaves, vees, subtle hips to hard wings. Over and above this, the technology provides the ability to design and cut custom boards or replicate existing designs.
In a world first for an in-demand shaper, Nev Hyman of “Nev Surfboards” no longer uses “ghost shapers”, subsequently assuming complete control of his shaping and design. Nev has been for the past 5 years instrumental in the development and “beta” testing of the APS3000.
Other world-renowned shapers such as Australia´s thruster inventor Simon Anderson, ´reverse-vee´ pioneer Maurice Cole, DHD´s Darren Handley, Pipedreams Murray Bourton, Rod Dahlberg and design guru Greg Webber are astounded with the machine´s capabilities, with Webber describing its performance as “absolutely breathtaking”.
Six-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater of the USA admitted his mind was “racing with possibilities” after viewing the machine´s capabilities and its potential to consistently reproduce the ´magic board´.
The APS 3000 and its software have been designed for ease of use with even the most computer illiterate able to learn its applications. Data can easily be stored and simply recalled at a later date allowing anything from slight modifications to thorough refinements across existing designs. In this the APS 3000 will deliver groundbreaking leaps forward in global surfboard design and production.
Most importantly perhaps, is the machine´s ability to capture the “character” of any one shaper´s designs via its precision, a quality often lost in the numerical process of copying original boards for data input used by other systems, and of course human error.
Billabong founder and surfboard shaper Gordon Merchant, has been the first to buy an APS 3000 following extensive research into the other machines currently available. Considering his renown contribution to the evolution of long to short boards in the 60’s and the “tucked under edge?E rail innovation, Merchant sees what limitless opportunities the APS 3000 can deliver. Indeed, Queensland based Surf Management Systems are also awaiting order confirmations from other internationally renowned shapers who are ready and committed to buy and become part of this new industry revolution.
Priced at AUD$75,000 (USD$55,000) the APS 3000 is not only more cost effective than other shaping machines but it can handle large scale manufacturers requirements easily. One person can run three machines at once, resulting in 12 surfboards per hour.
The “APS” in APS 3000 stands for “Ants Pants Shaper”. In Australia “ants pants” is a cheeky colloquial term which means unequivocally ´the best´.
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For more information regarding this product: Jamie Corker
+61 (0) 407 123 210