Ice Hockey Stick Modular Shaft and Blade Joint Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ice hockey sticks are manufactured as single, non-disassemblable pieces, making it difficult to manage logistics and provide customized options for different player preferences and stiffness classes, leading to a large number of product variations and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
The ice hockey stick design features a separately manufactured shaft and blade that can be easily joined using instant glue, reducing the number of product titles and allowing for more flexible customization and manufacturing advantages, such as filament winding and economical raw material use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shaft and blade are manufactured as a single integrated piece, then the structural integrity and strength are improved, but the logistics complexity and product variation management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hockey stick is divided into two separate components: a shaft and a blade. The shaft has a tapered end that fits into a socket in the blade, allowing the components to be manufactured separately and assembled by the user. This segmentation enables independent optimization of each component and dramatically reduces the number of product SKUs needed in the supply chain.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple product variations are offered to meet different player preferences, then the adaptability and customer satisfaction are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and inventory management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the hockey stick into interchangeable shaft and blade components, the system allows customers to mix and match different shaft stiffness classes with different blade models. Instead of manufacturing 30 different integrated stick models, the manufacturer produces separate shafts and blades that can be combined in various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized tapered shaft end and socket interface create a universal connection system that works across different shaft and blade models. This universal interface allows a single shaft to be compatible with multiple blade types and vice versa, reducing the overall product complexity while maintaining versatility.
3Reliability
If the joint is placed in a technically sensitive area to maintain strength, then the structural reliability is improved, but the weight increases due to local reinforcement
Solution Approach 1:
The socket in the blade is constructed using composite materials, specifically a foam core surrounded by fiberglass or carbon fiber layers. This composite structure provides high strength-to-weight ratio, maintaining joint strength without requiring excessive reinforcement that would increase overall stick weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement is localized precisely to the socket area where the joint connection occurs. The foam core with fiberglass/carbon fiber wrapping provides targeted structural support at the joint interface, while the rest of the blade maintains its optimized weight and performance characteristics.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4d
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a stick, such as an ice hockey stick, which comprises a shaft (3) and a blade part (1);(2) and in which the shaft and the blade part (1);(2) are separately manufactured and joinable together, an end (5) of the shaft (3) meant for the joint being tapered and the blade part (1);(2) comprising a socket (4) arranged to receive said shaft (3) end. The socket (4) of the blade part (1);(2) are formable substantially to the heel part of the blade part (1);(2), the structure of the heel part and the socket (4) thus ending at the same level in the direction of the shaft.