Grant: Idea to Innovation

High-end hockey sticks are lightweight, integrate the stick and the blade in one piece, and are engineered so that stiffness along the stick length is variable to reach maximum performance. The hockey sticks are made of carbon fiber composite materials. The manufacturing of these sticks requires a skilled person to place by hand, layer-by-layer, the composite tapes along specific orientations. Since this manufacturing process is highly labor-intensive, all hockey sticks are handmade in low-cost countries such as China and Vietnam. There are currently no cost-effective automated technology allowing the manufacturing of high-end carbon-fiber hockey sticks. Prof Laberge Lebel and his team have developed a technology that could automatize the production of high-end hockey sticks. His patented 3D braiding technology allows the placement of composite tapes on a mandrel that integrates the blade to make a one-piece product. This I2I grant will fund the development of a full-scale 3D braiding machine able to place these tapes at different orientations along the hockey stick, thus producing variable mechanical properties. The braid machine will braid several layers in one pass for high throughput. Since the braiding machine is computer-controlled, we envision a production process of tailored-made hockey sticks that could meet any specific person's requirements. Every year, millions of hockey sticks are sold around the world. Approximately three-quarter of them are for mid to high performance. The low-cost automated technology could be used to manufacture these sticks in Canada.