Technologie - Material – GRYPHON Europe

MATERIALS

The Lay-up is the Gryphon performance ‘X’ factor. We do this differently, it is an art, it is a sixth sense based on years of experience and the knowledge of how to best achieve the desired result of power and a great crisp feel to allow that instant response from the players hands for exceptional ball control. This cannot be achieved using 100% of anything.

Gryphon sticks do not use a carbon percentage but a carbon quotient. The carbon quotient expresses an indicative stiffness measure of GRYPHON sticks as a relative measure to the widely used carbon percentages which we believe is meaningless as there is so many other parametres to consider in manufacturing hockey sticks.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fibre offers the advantage of being light with high stiffness [stiffness describes how much a material deflects (or bends) under force], and high tensile strength [tensile strength is the force required to bend the material until breakage]. When used correctly Carbon is an ideal component for hockey stick composition contributing to delivering high ball speed [power for hitting, slapping, pushing] whilst light [stiffness to weight ratio] so contributes to reducing overall weight to enhance players ability to move the stick quickly enabling “quick hands”.

Carbon fibre has the disadvantage of being brittle [being brittle describes that a material when subjected to stress breaks easily] in a hockey sense this mean that from impacts the carbon fibres are easily broken from stick to stick impacts and from repeated ball striking, and secondly carbon fibre has limited vibration dampening characteristics. These key disadvantages are overcome by how the Carbon is used and the use of Kraibon, Fibreglass, Aramid and The Resin Matrix in the composite Lay-up.

Fiberglass

Fibreglass is the most common fibre in the composite industry. It is heavier and not as stiff than carbon fibre but is more impact resistant and has a greater elongation to break than carbon fibre. Fibreglass is used to control the flex, for its easy formability characteristics and high mechanical strength. These specifications make Fibreglass a crucial material in protecting carbon fibre from impacts.

Aramid

Aramid fibre provides an exceptional impact resistance and is very abrasion resistant. Heavier than Carbon, Aramid fibre is key in vibration reduction and fatigue resistancewhich make it a great addition to Carbon and Glass-fibres in the lay-up.

The Resin Matrix

The Resin Matrix is the process of moulding the stick where the resin combines both the chemical and physical structures of different fibres together. When fibres and resin are combined they form a composite material with new characteristics that are better than the individual components.

KRAIBON®

KRAIBON® is integrated directly into the layer structure in the manufacturing process which is typical of fibre composite. No additional bonding agents are required since this property is introduced directly in the formulas. KRAIBON® has inherent adhesiveness (tack) and, after warming, can easily be draped.

Properties of KRAIBON® Hybrid High energy absorption Long and reliable service life Easy to cut to any desired size Outstanding stability to weight ratio Bonding with and between a wide range of materials Equalization of the thermal expansion of various materials