JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 38

SPORTS & LEISURE
golf

Carbon golf shaft using a unique
tubular composite technology
The NTPT technology and TPT Golf™ shafts are endorsed by leading names.
Biomechanical specialist Jean-Jacques Rivet was instrumental in the development and performance validation of the range, while world-leading golf
coach David Leadbetter provided technical feedback during the development of the shafts.
JameS auStin,
CEO
North Thin Ply Technology

he shafts were recently launched under
the TPT Golf™ brand name at The
Evian 2016, and used by professional
golfer Lydia Ko to win her silver medal at the
Rio 2016 Olympics.
A fully automated process
Most composite golf shafts suffer from fibre
misalignment and a spine that spirals along
the tube. NTPT's process, with the winding
of a pre-made, pre-orientated tape, enables
a fully automated process, with exact fibre
placement and no spine, for symmetry and
consistent stiffness.
These results are achieved through the use of
Thin Ply Technology lightweight prepregs -
boosting laminate strength by delaying first
ply failure, and allowing greater optimisation
of modulus, strength and direction.
The preforms are designed to the engineering
specifications and the NTPT ATL machines
produce them in a controlled, accurate and
cost-effective way. The preform layer is cut
into strips and progressively wound over the
mandrel with a defined offset/overlap. The
ability to tailor the tube enables accuracy
of weight, stiffness profile down the shaft,
torque, and kick point - features used by
professional fitters, coaches and high-level

players to select their shafts.
There are almost unlimited options: the fibres
can be placed in a chosen direction, anywhere
through the thickness and along the length of
the tube - even axial fibres in the 0 direction,
which can be very difficult with alternative
processes.
This process ensures the carbon plies are laid
concentrically, resulting in a symmetrical shaft
with no spine, and offers precise control over
the ratio of longitudinal plies to off-axis plies
along the length of the shaft. The resulting
wall thickness uniformity and fibre alignment
control allow for an exact match to the design
requirements.
The NTPT process is an economically viable
production method to manufacture tubes
within the European engineering centre and
according to customer demand, resulting in

NTPT™'s
Automated Tape
Laying equipment
assists with the
efficient and
cost-effective
incorporation
of prepregs into
moulded parts

jec composites magazine / N°114 July 2017

rapid iteration and close control of design
and quality.
A ground-breaking product
Lightweight carbon composites have been
used in golf shafts since the 1980's. By reducing weight, composites allow higher swing
speeds and increased distance. But weight
reduction is only part of the story.
NTPT created a ground-breaking new
product through delivering enhanced laminate properties with ThinPly prepregs, and
by converting these materials to the most
uniform, symmetrical tubular structures
available.
Composites typically replaced metal in the
shafts of longer clubs like drivers and woods,
where yardage gain is important. The new
TPT Golf™ shafts are not only at the premi-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017