the perfect nylon shuttle!

[Jurethatsme]

Well, sooner or later, all feather ones will disappear and become extinct. It's the trend. Badminton is the only sport left in the world that still uses parts of animals for equipments. As time goes on, the price of feather goes up as well. At the end, the feather shuttles will not be affordable. According to my estimation, nylon shuttles will have larger market share than feather ones before 2010, and it can't be stopped.

I agree with you! Or maybe we will make transgenic geese, who will have stronger feathers! You know, like tomatoes - geneticaly modified tomatoes are bigger and nicer (but suck ). I believe that a perfect synthetic shuttle can be made, but right know feather sell and the production of such synthetic shuttle would be too expensive. I would make a shuttle which feels like feather and last a little longer but not too much! After all, you have to sell them!
The racquets were also made of wood once! In such moments always think of computers - once one English minister said (in 1980s I think), that 1 computer would be enough for whole England and that there would be no need and desire to have a computer at home! But if I were a manufacturer,

[Temasek Green]

Just my raw idea.

I'am thinking of a durable paper that been used as a seperator within the wafer fab disc.This paper cannot be easily torn.And the light hollow straw stick (tapered end) just imagine like vitagen straw or like a cotton bud stick as a structure to replace a feather.

The shuttle base remain the same using a cork.No need to sew,just need the 2 light plastic "O" ring with groove of diameter of the straw stick around the "O" ring to slot in the straw stick into the plastic "O" ring and glued.(high quality glue)

The reason:
1st) The paper will be as crispy and as light as a feather when been hitted.

2nd)More cheaper.

3rd)Less Quality control issue (constant size,while feather is uncertain condition).

4th)Not effected by the bird flu issue.

5th)More productive.

6th)No need to mositurize before game.

[illusionistpro]

Well, sooner or later, all feather ones will disappear and become extinct. It's the trend. Badminton is the only sport left in the world that still uses parts of animals for equipments. As time goes on, the price of feather goes up as well. At the end, the feather shuttles will not be affordable. According to my estimation, nylon shuttles will have larger market share than feather ones before 2010, and it can't be stopped.

mostly true, many soccer shoes are still made from kangaroo leather because of its stretching properties and also softness. This is however supplemented by the large unwanted of surplus in australia. still yet many players are switching over to a synthetic leather because its softer, lighter, no need for stretch cause what you get is how it stays, and it absorbs less water. Its amazing what mankind has come up with.

[azabaz_ipoh]

The biggest problem with synth shuttle is how to connect the shaft and feather. These 2 have different property. Scientists can make shaft very close to the real shaft and 10X mor durable. They also can make feather just like real one. It is the prob with putting 2 together and work as good as real feather and cheap enough to produce it. The biggest issue is the glue. In real feather, the shaft and feather are grow into and connected in molocule level. While if you make a synth feather, you need to glue 2 pieces together. How do you apply very small amount of glue and hold the 2 pieces together? That is the problem.

not a problem if the shaft and the featherlike section is from one mold. plastic molding for example, are very advanced that we could make the thickness of one item vary from one end to the other. imagine, if you will, a mold that makes the shaft section thicker and stronger and the feather section tapered and very thin so that it will be like a feather. automated cuts will be done on the tapered and thin end of the material to simulate feather's ability to react to wind. now the thicker section, if we find the right material or a combination of materials, will be strong and lasts longer while the tapered and thin section will be flexible and last longer than feather. now, the price would probably be more expensive but in time the mass production of this shuttle will reduce the cost and the fact that the shuttle can last longer will in fact reduce the cost of players having to buy shuttle regularly. now that would be sweet .

[Lin Tan]

I register just to post a reply about this purpose ... I got the same idea recently and I had a dream : a shuttlecock in carbone fibre (same material as darts flight) wich had the same flight and same sound when I hit it. I tried to make a prototype but it's not easy. The most difficult is to respect the weight and the flight. I've also thinked about a shuttlecock made with half nylon and half feather : it will be more durable and will also sound better.