Manufacturing example: Golf tee marker
Individuality on the golf track
The Lauterhofen Golf Club in the district of Neumarkt i.d.Opf. had the idea of providing the tees of the 18-hole golf course with new tee markings. As with any golf course, Lauterhofen has a men's tee (yellow) and a ladies' tee (red) on each of the 18 holes. Each of these tees has two markers that delineate the front line of a virtual rectangle within which the golf ball must be placed on a tee for the tee shot.
Tee markers made of wood, stone, plastic or metal come in a wide variety of forms. They are often individually manufactured or at least adapted for the respective club, as they are usually part of the golf club's "corporate design" due to their conspicuousness. The goal of the Lauterhof Golf Club was to set up a distinctive tee marker that had to
- match the CI of the golf club
- be weather resistant
- had to within the budget as a small series of lot size 80.
From the idea to the milled tool
Since the heraldic animal of the golf club is a red kite, it was decided at the beginning of the project to use the silhouette of this bird of prey as a template for the tee markers, which would ultimately be made of silicone in bright colors.
Based on this, FIT's design team constructed several digital 3D models of the heraldic animal to choose from, which were produced as reduced-scale design prototypes using selective laser sintering (PBF-LB/P).
Based on the approved design, a press mold was produced from tool steel. Due to the very stylized, simple motif and for cost reasons, the mold was simply milled. The cavity was finally blasted with steel shot for a matte surface quality of the elastomer.
Elastomer production of the pilot series
A total of 80 tee markers were produced from silicone in FIT's elastomer production using the compression molding process. The silicone rubber used for this purpose is insensitive to weathering, resists ozone, UV radiation and other weather influences, for example, and is available in bright red and yellow. The paste-like raw material was precisely calculated for each component and pressed into the mold. The stainless steel ground spikes were cast directly into the silicone body as inserts for a permanently stable rubber-to-metal bond. At high temperature and pressure, the elastomer parts were cured for a few minutes in the vulcanizing press. After the mold was opened, the excess material was removed with a soft brush. Due to material and the mechanical preparation of the press mold, the finished markings were characterized by a pleasant satin-like touch and a bright look.
The special process requirements
With the help of FIT's pilot series production, exceptional tee markings for the Lauterhofen Golf Club could be produced within a few days that were
- shatter-resistant
- lightfast and protected against fading
- weather resistant and
- unique.
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Technical facts about the golf tee marker
| FIT solution: | Rapid prototyping (pilot series) |
| Scope of services: | Design development
Manufacturing of design prototypes Tool manufacturing Manufacturing of pilot series of silicone Packaging and shipping |
| Delivery time: | 5 working days (after data approval) |
| Part dimensions: | 460 x 250 x 45 mm,
Steel insert 2.300 mm |
| Part weight: | 230 g |
| Lot size: | 80 pc |
| Material: | Silicone rubber |
| Shore hardness: | 20 – 85A |
| Elongation at break: | 600 % (plus very good recovery elasticity) |
| Certificate: | ISO 9001 |
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