Overmolded Golf Tee Rigid Stake Flexible Crown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf tees face challenges in reducing friction while maintaining durability and ease of manufacturing, particularly in designs with flexible crowns and rigid stakes, where complex manufacturing or durability issues arise at the connection point.
Innovation Solution
An overmolded golf tee design featuring a rigid stake and a flexible crown made of materials like LDPE or TPU, with corresponding projections and flanges for enhanced durability and ease of assembly, allowing the crown to be overmolded onto the stake.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If the crown is made of flexible material to reduce friction, then the friction is reduced, but the connection point between the stake and crown becomes less durable
Solution Approach 1:
The golf tee combines a rigid stake made of hard plastic with a flexible crown made of soft plastic, creating a composite structure where each material performs its optimal function. The rigid stake provides structural strength while the flexible crown reduces friction with the golf ball, and the overmolding process creates a durable integrated connection between the two materials.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the crown is made of flexible material to reduce friction, then the friction is reduced, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The overmolding process merges the fabrication of the rigid stake and flexible crown into a single integrated manufacturing step. The flexible crown material is molded directly over the pre-formed rigid stake, creating a permanent bond without requiring separate assembly operations. This combining of steps simplifies manufacturing despite using multiple materials.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the crown is made of flexible material to reduce friction, then the friction is reduced, but the connection point between the stake and crown tends to break
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid stake is fabricated first with a specific geometry designed to receive the overmolded flexible crown. This preliminary preparation of the stake structure, including features like flanges or tapered surfaces, ensures that when the flexible material is molded over it, a strong mechanical bond is created that prevents breaking at the connection point.
Solution Approach 2:
The combination of rigid and flexible materials creates a composite structure where the interface between materials is optimized for strength. The overmolding process ensures proper adhesion between the hard plastic stake and soft plastic crown, distributing stresses to prevent failure at the connection point while maintaining the friction-reducing flexibility of the crown.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf tee has a stake made of a first material and a crown made of a second material more flexible than the first material, in which the crown is overmolded over the stake. The crown and the stake can have corresponding projections. The stake can have projections to allow the crown and the stake to hold together better.