Growing A Disc Golf Manufacturer
We’ve been delighted to be able to help a US based disc golf company grow from an idea in their garage, to a full scale manufacturing facility with a focus on sustainability.
Let There Be Minis
The product that launched this company was their mini markers. Minis are small versions of discs used to mark your lie before taking your next shot, and they presented an easier way to make products before taking the leap to full scale discs.
The company’s existing putter designs was scaled down and used to produce a mold for use on the injection machine the owner built in his garage. After an overwhelming response from customers, 3 more molds were produced to allow for faster production.
This early product allowed the company to reinvest funds into building a relationship with a professional molding firm, and eventually buy their own injection machines to bring manufacturing in house.
Full Scale Discs
After the success of the mini markers, it was then time to move to full scale discs. The company asked that their existing putter be adjusted to suite the desired target volume for the plastic they’d chosen for production.
The final design was handed off to a mold maker to produce a production grade mold, and in 2022 the company begam production of their first PDGA approved disc golf disc. It was a privilege to be part of this process.
Digital Prototyping
Designing a new disc usually means iterating. Small changes in disc profile result in large flight changes. This often means producing several versions of a disc in order to find the ideal design. 3D printing offers a fantastic way to iterate, but can be wasteful with time and materials. However computer analysis offers a way to iterate on a design rapidly, and without ever wasting an ounce of plastic.
This project offered the chance to brush up on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and develop those skills further. Over the course of a few weeks a process was developed that allowed discs to be designed and flight tested all on a computer.
Profiles can be adjusted quickly and repeatedly. Flight testing can show results for all kinds of different throws and arm speeds, providing a comprehensive preview of each new design.
Designing For Injection Molding
One of the final design steps to be brought in house was designing the mold cavity. Since molten plastic shrinks as it cools, mold cavities are designed in a way to allow the part to shrink to final size and shape. Up until now this step was outsourced to the mold maker. The company asked that this be done at the disc design stage so that they could have more flexibility finding mold makers who would only need to produce the mold to print.
This was something outside CEGAN Consulting’s existing skill set, but seemed like a challenge worth taking on. After a deep dive on mold design and studying the other company molds, a design was finalized for the latest disc.
The first parts off the machine looked and flew just like the CAD design and simulation said they should. Being trusted to design such an important detail came with a lot of pressure, but the end product speaks for itself.