JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 39

Carbon golf shaft using a unique tubular composite technology

Key points
- Use of thin ply prepreg materials for improved properties.
- The innovative tube manufacturing process combines precise control of the fibre lay-up
angles and the enhanced mechanical properties of NTPT ThinPly prepregs.
- More degrees of freedom in fibre orientation allow "high-definition" engineering design.
- Automated processing, coupled with this design flexibility, can produce custom tubes or
shafts tailored to a unique flexural stiffness requirement.
- Shafts and tubes produced display near perfect symmetry and uniformity of wall thickness.
- Tubular structures show no spine or lack of concentricity sometimes evident with traditional
roll wrapping production techniques.
- Golf shafts developed by TPT Golf™ show a more symmetric flex profile and provide improved
feel for the golfer while imparting less spin on the ball - keeping the ball in the air longer and
gaining yards with lower shot dispersion.
- The initial proven success in golf provides a springboard for development into other market
applications for high-performance tubular composite structures.

um end of the driver shaft market, but their
symmetry, consistency and player-feel will
also gain traction across the full set of clubs.
The development of more scientific coaching
methods has led to better understanding
of the golfers swing, and a need for more
harmony with the equipment. Better control
over shaft properties and feel lead directly
to performance gains by athletes, and can
potentially reduce the risk of injury.

Main stages of the project
The first investigation into the use of thin ply
materials for golf shafts was carried out in 2012.
Although ThinPly prepregs were beneficial, it
was not felt that a raw material switch alone
provided enough improvement to overcome
the economics of Asian manufacture, and the
remaining deficiencies of roll-wrapping. The

David Leadbetter and his
team at the Leadbetter Golf
Academy were instrumental
in providing feedback on
the development of the TPT
Golf™ shafts.

N°114 July 2017

An innovation with high potential
Initially, the shaft will target the drivers and
"woods" of the 400,000 regular golfers.
Once established, future developments will
look to replace steel shafts in irons which
could potentially increase the market size
by a factor of 5 or more.
NTPT's novel composite tube manufacturing process sees its first commercial
application on the golf course, where it
aims to provide the finest quality and
performance for all golfers whether they
be professional or amateur. The future
potential of this innovative manufacturing
technology is also highly significant in other
areas. Automotive drive shafts, aircraft
struts, dinghy and windsurf masts, as well as
other sports equipment shafts and frames
are just a few example applications, with the
process and materials being ideal for any tubular structures where weight, performance
and cost are critical factors.
More information:
www.thinplytechnology.com

/ jec composites magazine

Feature Sports & Leisure

Desire for customization
The market shows an increasing trend
towards custom fitting, where a golfer can
upgrade a standard, low-cost Asian-made
shaft to a higher performance shaft perfectly
suited to his/her game.
A growing desire for customization is increasing the need for lighter shafts as the "average"
player has lower swing speed than the pros.
As the weight of the shaft reduces, the effect
of the "spine" becomes more pronounced
and the TPT Golf™ solution becomes more
critical and valuable. A new "super-premium"
segment is developing where shafts can be
customised, not just for a particular swing

type, but for an individual's swing - and TPT
Golf™ offers this service.
Due to the performance improvement of this
shaft, and the trend towards custom-fit shafts,
TPT Golf™ does not plan to sell via OEMs,
but rather sell shafts through carefully selected
premium fitters where the performance gains
can be properly demonstrated.
TPT Golf™ shafts lead the way for a host
of other applications. There are significant
opportunities to replace metallic tubular
structures, or reduce the weight of existing
composite tubes, while providing optimal
mechanical properties and complete manufacturing consistency. These include marine spars,
automotive prop shafts, aerospace struts - any
high-performance composite tube.

project moved forwards again in 2014 with
the development of the new process that
offered significant cost benefits while delivering a quantum leap in shaft performance.
The first prototypes were developed in
late 2015, with testing conducted by the
world-renowned biomechanist J.J. Rivet.
Even the initial prototypes were a step
change in performance with Lydia Ko, the
World's No. 1 female golfer, immediately
adopting the shaft. Development continued during 2016, including the shaft that
Lydia Ko used to win a silver medal at the
Rio Olympics. The product was officially
launched at The Evian in September 2016
and further promotion took place at the
PGA Show in Orlando in January 2017,
with a special event to launch the full range
in March 2017.
The product was designed and developed
in Switzerland with production starting in
Poland in December 2016. It hit retailers in
March 2017.
The TPT Golf shaft was endorsed by David
Leadbetter, probably the most famous
swing coach in the world. The shaft will
be available through the David Leadbetter
chain of fitting centres.

http://www.thinplytechnology.com

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