Braid-trusion of Thermoplastic Composite Hockey Sticks

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As a lesser weight is usually associated with better performance, the sports industry is always looking for lighter materials to incorporate to their designs. Hockey is no exception and sticks are usually made of stiff, strong and light composite materials. These sticks are usually fabricated by the means of bladder molding. This process, while very adapted to this type of parts needs to be done manually from start to end and is therefore usually relocated in countries with low manufacturing costs. This involves many problems associated with the distant management of the supply chain. To solve this problem, a possible solution is to use thermoplastic composite braid-trusion manufacturing. A cost-effective and automated process. This process is very promising but remains to be fully mastered. This project involving Bauer Hockey Ltd., Pultrusion Technique inc., FilSpec inc., and Polytechnique Montréal aims at further developing the braid trusion process to fabricate Hockey sticks. This project will train highly qualified personnel ranging from Master student to Post-Doctoral Fellow. It will also be highly beneficial to all the industrial partners and Canada by helping relocate the production in Canada, therefore simplifying the supply chain management and creating opportunities in Quebec.